Song of Enchantment
by Nara-Woods
Summary: Once more, he cursed her: he hated her. Hated the way he couldn't get her out of his mind, how little he knew about her so that questions popped up every bloody minute. But most of all, he hated that he hadn't seen her… And he HATED that he hated that.
1. Chapter 1

A HP fan fiction, so obviously there's a lot of stuff in here that I didn't come up with. J.K. Rowling is the rightful owner and creator of this magical world along with (most of) its places, characters, objects and creatures in this story. I have been twitching and changing some stuff though and I've added some characters and a couple of other things. For example, Dumbledore does not have the exact same family as in the original story. Stuff like that.  
Also, there are some other magical beings mentioned in this story that most of you will be familiar with, so I just wanted to say in advance that basically all I've used of the existing legends/myths concerning this creatures is the names and some basic features.

This isn't my first time writing a story (not that I'm a fully experienced author or anything, I just try to put some stories on paper sometimes), but it is the first time I'm writing in English and a fan fiction (I'm telling you, playing with other people's characters is so much trickier than I thought), so I hope you'll like it.  
I'm going to loosely follow the events as depicted in book one to seven (plus some details from the movies), but focusing more on the adult characters (professors, order members etc.), in particular Severus Snape, Dumbledore, the Order and the OC of course.

P.S. This story has been up before, but I had some trouble with uploading and revising my documents so eventually I had removed all chapters with the intention to upload everything properly. Except… my hard drive crashed shortly after. I thought I'd lost all my chapters, but the other day I suddenly remembered I had made backups of several files on my friend's laptop. Thank God this story was on there too!

Okay, enough talking! Hope you'll enjoy!

**Chapter One**

Severus Snape buttoned up his pitch-black frockcoat and left his quarters in the dusty dungeons of Hogwarts. Headmaster Dumbledore was waiting for him in the middle of the Entrance Hall, along with Minerva McGonagall and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirinus Quirrell. Severus rolled his dark eyes; he'd forgotten all about that stuttering git who'd stolen his job. Not deliberately of course, but Severus did not feel the need to be reasonable with this man. And what was it with that idiotic turban?!

'Ah, Severus! There you are!' Dumbledore said in his usual cheerful voice.

Severus greeted him with a nod. 'Headmaster. Professor McGonagall.' He clenched his jaw. '_Professor_ Quirrell.'

'A v-very p-p-pleasant evening to you, Professor Snape.' Quirrell stuttered, cringing just the slightest when Severus stood before him. 'L-looking f-forward to the m-m-meeting, are we?'

'Can't wait.' Severus answered without looking at Quirrell. Even though the Midnight Meeting was quite an impressive event and it was an honor to be invited, the idea of having to put up with his new colleague for an entire night was something he could gladly do without.

'Shall we proceed?' Dumbledore inquired and held his arm out for Professor McGonagall, who took it whilst smiling excitedly. Yes, the Midnight Meeting had all those lucky enough to have received an invitation dying with anticipation. Of course, McGonagall hadn't gotten one herself, nor had Severus or Quirrell, but Dumbledore had, as usual. And because he had been such a loyal visitor for all those years, he was allowed to bring not one, but two guests.

'_Damn him for that_.' Severus thought. If it hadn't been for all that loyalty, they wouldn't have had to drag the Turban around with them all night. First, Dumbledore had gotten his own invite, along with the choice to bring someone; McGonagall. Then, two days later when Severus had returned to Hogwarts after spending the summer at his own home, an eagle owl had delivered a letter to the headmaster. Severus was at Dumbledore's office at the time, receiving all the news on the upcoming school year. Not very good news. Not only had he missed out on the position of D.A.D.A. teacher _again, _but the son of James Potter would be starting his first year as a student at Hogwarts. The gigantic grey-brown owl had given him the only bit of pleasant information that day. Apparently, Dumbledore's cousin was coming back from years living in Sweden or Finland or whatever it was, and would be attending the Midnight Meeting. She had predicted that her uncle would have gotten his own acceptance to the event, but as she did not have many acquaintances in Britain that hadn't gotten in by themselves, she figured he would know someone who wanted to go as her guest. Although it felt somewhat demeaning and uncomfortable to be attending as some girl's party, one just did not say no to the Midnight Meeting.  
The Midnight Meeting was not just any other gathering of wizards and other magical beings, but a symbol of magical unity. Polite conversations held here, as innocent and empty as they might seem to outsiders, were in fact tools to renew or restore alliances, peace treaties and friendships between various races and groups. It was one of the rare occasions when vampires, werewolves, veela, sirens, wizards, healers, giants and even some centaurs could all be found in the same room, or hall really.  
Oh, if only that suck-up at the Ministry hadn't send Dumbledore that complementary ticket! After all, they should know better over there by now not to try and bribe Albus Dumbledore.

Severus went on sulking over his misfortune as the four of them disapparated after the Headmaster had lifted the blocking spell. After the familiar popping sound, they found themselves in a wide field. The highest pine trees Severus had ever seen in his life enclosed the field and he guessed that the forest line was the threshold that prevented Muggles from entering. For them, there wouldn't be any field at all. Nor would there be the huge, cathedral-like building with its three towers reaching high into the starry night sky. Guards stood in front of it, letting their burning torches cast ghastly shadows on the stone walls.  
Dumbledore led the way to the massive double doors that weren't that much different from the one Hogwarts had. Behind them, Severus heard another soft 'pop', followed by laughter and rambling in a strange language.  
Suddenly two guards – without torches, stood before them. They seemed to have appeared out of thin air and made all but Dumbledore stop abruptly in their tracks. Quirrell let out a nervous high laugh and McGonagall's hand shot to her throat in shock.  
'A very good night to you, sirs!' Dumbledore said calmly and bowed.  
The men bowed in return and the shorter one spoke. 'Welcome, Professor. I am sorry, but I will need to see the invitation of at least one of your guests.'

'Ah, yes. You see, my niece has passed her second invitation on to me as she had no means for it. I do not have it on me, I'm afraid, but…'

'Your niece?' He sounded almost apologetic. 'We have no other reservation under the name 'Dumbledore', I could check again...'

'No, no, don't worry. No need to get anxious: she does not go by the name 'Dumbledore', it's 'Meren'.'

The guard tilted his head. The confusion on his round face made Severus feel the urge to stun him, and not just because he was holding them up; he was starting to resemble Quirrell.  
'We do have a 'Meren', but – ' both guards looked at each other questioningly.

'Yes, yes, that's her.' Dumbledore said chirpily and smiled. 'May we go in?'  
The man narrowed his eyes for a brief instant, but then he stepped aside and bowed his head.

'Are they always this lenient?' McGonagall whispered to the Headmaster. 'I thought this was supposed to be the most impossible event to get into.'

'Hmm, yes. I must have made an impression last time.'

The moment Severus passed the wooden doors, he realized how quiet it had been outside. In the corridor, a loud humming of sounds became audible, but it was not until he set foot in the hall that he could truly hear the hundreds of voices that were actively chatting away and the woman that was singing. Different types of drums, harps, violins and many other instruments accompanied her haunting sound.  
The hall was completely dipped in grey light and decorations, which may seem a dull color for such a special occasion, but it was one of the very few neutral shades. The beauty of it, was that everything and everyone seemed to be brighter and more colourful than they normally would have.  
'Just a reminder: make sure you don't have anything on you that could insult anyone.' Dumbledore noted lightly. 'We don't want to leave here tonight having set off a war. How that would spoil the wonderful memories one can collect here.'

Even though all races were keen on showing of their qualities and pride tonight, everyone was also careful not to step on anyone's toes or to be too bold. Some more than others of course, but still, all crests, weapons and other objects decorated with symbols that could possibly offend anybody were left safely at home. There was more history between everyone here than one could guess, and it would be very unfortunate to be wearing a pin or necklace that could put you on the bad side of an entire race. In the case of peacocks for example, you could either anger the sirens or the Veela. Two races that were actually closely related, but couldn't stand one another. Both had more than once accused the other of being vain and on account of the silvery hair of the Veela, they were mockingly called silver peacocks. Whilst the sirens had golden locks and were therefore nicknamed golden peacocks by the Veela. Time had faded the hostility a little, but it was safest to stay away from anything to do with peacocks in their presence.

When Severus looked around him he noticed all of them. On his left, a group of large, broad men with wild facial hair that looked nothing like beards or moustaches; werewolves. A couple of dark-haired vampires stood with them, seeming quite unnerved by the close contact, but their faces were unnaturally polite. Beside their pale skin and strange looking eyes, you could tell them apart from living wizards by the way they still dressed like it was the year they died in. The silver coloured heads that stuck out here and there, were Veela. And the giants and centaurs were not hard to pick out from the crowd either.  
A jolt went through Severus' body when his eyes landed on a pale face that was neither vampire nor Veela. No, it was much worse than those two combined: Lucius Malfoy. Severus turned to Dumbledore, Quirrell and McGonagall in the hope that Lucius wouldn't approach him if he saw that he was in the middle of a conversation. '_Yes, that sounds exactly like Lucius Malfoy_.' He thought to himself sarcastically. Severus looked at Quirrell who looked more tense than ever, and let out an annoyed sigh. Dumbledore arched an eyebrow at this, but then looked past Severus.  
'Well, well! So working at Hogwarts does pay, I see.' A smooth voice came from behind him and Severus turned slowly. The cold eyes of Lucius Malfoy were staring back at him. There was an amused smirk on his thin lips. Next to him was the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who did not seem as uneasy in Malfoy's company as everyone in their right mind should've been. Nonetheless, he almost ran over to Dumbledore's side.

'Can we speak, Severus?' Malfoy asked in that tone of his that was always eerily friendly.

'Naturally.'

Malfoy shot out an arm and grabbed the collar of a house elf carrying a tray with goblets. The elf's knees shook visibly as he pushed the tray over his head so that Malfoy could take two goblets filled with red wine of of it.

'Here, have some wine. You of all people disserve it.' He said, offering one of the goblets to Severus, who took it and arched his eyebrows. 'Don't you ever get tired playing Dumbledore's puppet, Severus?'

'I'm hardly that, Lucius.' Severus answered, not bothering to conceal his irritation. He had talked to former Death Eaters about this subject a hundred times. 'Do you have any idea how much energy it costs me to keep up the charades every day?

'Well, then why don't you drop it?' One corner of Malfoy's mouth curled up in a devilish grin.

'You mean I should follow your brilliant example of falling into complete usefulness? Very tempting Lucius, but unlike others, I am already at the perfect place should the Dark lord rise again. Pardon me, but I doubt our _friends_ at Azkaban will be able to do much good in that case.'

Malfoy's grin disappeared and made way for a face that looked as if it could snarl like a panther at any second.

'Yes, well, I'm not here to debate your choice Severus.' He was clearly working very hard at subsiding his anger. 'I merely wanted to warn you against one of Dumbledore's ridiculous whims.' He shook his head slightly, the way people do when to try to re-focus. 'Apparently Hogwarts is gaining a substitute teacher.'

Severus had indeed heard such a thing from Dumbledore himself. It had been in the middle of two other conversations and thus he had not given it much thought. It did not bother him actually, although there had never been such a thing as a substitute at Hogwarts and Severus didn't see the reason why they would need one now. But he had never had much to do with the other teachers except on special occasions as the welcoming feast, so obviously a substitute couldn't be in his way that much.

'So I've heard.'

'Well, have you also heard what _kind_ of teacher this is concerning?'

Severus frowned, puzzled.

Malfoy's eyes twinkled. 'Ah, so Dumbledore does not tell you everything, does he?'

Instead of answering to this, Severus downed his wine. The red liquid burned his throat a little, but a couple more of these and Malfoy's malicious voice would be much easier to drown out.

'It is said at the Ministry that Dumbledore is planning to hire his own cousin for the job.'

Even though Severus did not know this, he wasn't all that surprised; it was just the sort of thing that could be expected from the old wizard.

'And? It's not like you to look down upon those who achieve things in an unofficial manner.'

Malfoy's eyes narrowed in dismay and he pointed his index finger at Severus' chest. 'Now you listen, _professor_: my son will be attending Hogwarts this year and it's bad enough that _that_ old fool over there is still in charge,' He waved an arm in the direction of Dumbledore, who was now chatting with a long-haired, male vampire. 'But I will NOT have him within the grasps of a sneaky siren!'

For a moment, Severus was taken aback, but he quickly redeemed himself. He wasn't particularly thrilled at the prospect of a siren added to the Hogwarts staff, but that wasn't Malfoy's concern. Sirens were known to inhabit countless possible sinful characteristics and when angered there was no reasoning with them, but honestly, who was Malfoy to talk? 'I'll keep an eye on her and your son, if that would help you.'

Just as Severus was making his offer, everyone suddenly fell silent. Except for the singer, who was humming softly. The drummers started to beat a rhythm that was both unsettling as compelling. When the woman morphed her humming into singing, a harp went along with the drums and the hall seemed to have gotten a little brighter.  
Then, they were suddenly there. Women with long golden hair and painfully perfect faces. They were just walking, but their bodies moved along with the music so perfectly that it looked like dancing. No, not even that, for Severus had never seen anyone dance in such harmony and elegance. The two in front smiled at everything male in the hall and shot arrogant glances at their wives. Behind them were three others. Two of them almost identical to the others, but one stood out from the group. At first, Severus thought it was because of her attire, which existed of a black, long-sleeved dress and no jewelry, while her companions wore blood red dresses that left their long, slender arms bare and their wrists were covered with golden bracelets. After more careful examination however, he was surprised to find out that she was different from the other sirens in many ways. Strange how he hadn't noticed that right away.

It was as if the band was playing a lullaby, because Severus felt unbelievably calm and had to suppress the urge to yawn. Then the sirens split up and the spell seemed to be broken. Still, the arrival of the mythical women had lifted his spirits, which was utterly irritating. The siren in black spoke a few words to the one next to her and looked around. A smile then spread across her face and she made her way through the crowd. Dumledore met her halfway and she embraced him.

'Would you like some more wine, sir?' A squeaky voice came from very far away. Severus took a deep breath and blinked several times. Looking down, he found the house elf, holding up even more goblets than before. He took two of them and turned to his side, ripping his gaze away from the sirens. He held out one of the goblets, but Lucius Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Apart from the fact that Severus now stood with two drinks in his hands, which earned him some strange looks from a grey-haired witch, that discovery had just made his night.

Unwillingly, Severus sought for one of the golden-haired women while sipping from one of the goblets. He found none, but the half-blood. She was shaking McGonagall's hand and listening intently to something the elderly witch was telling her. Quirrell was miraculously not twitching at all, but simply gaped at the Headmaster's cousin. Dumbledore lay a hand on her shoulder and spoke. The woman nodded to him and said something to McGonagall and Quirrell. She then followed her uncle and came Severus' way.

Automatically, Severus took a step backwards. How he hated feeling this weak and out of control. To prove himself, he decided to stare this woman right in the eyes; surely she would be a lot easier to resist than a _real_ siren. Not a smart move.

As she approached him, Severus could see that she did not have that glow that made every siren's face fair and their features flawless, but her eyes were so beautiful that one hardly noticed anything else. They were framed by long, black lashes and their irises were a grayish shade of blue. The chestnut coloured hair of this half-siren was considerably duller and wilder than the shiny curls that graced the heads of her pureblood sisters. It was slightly wavy and reached just over her shoulder blades. She had a harsh look about her, which was most unusual for her type and her smile, though kind, lacked the allure and charm of that of a true siren.

Severus tried to search for flaws, but every time he found one, his gaze was drawn back to those hypnotic eyes, and he caved.

'Severus,' Dumbledore spoke, and then, noticing the two goblets, 'Thirsty, are we? I would like you to meet my lovely niece, Lavolla Meren.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lavolla couldn't help but grin at the sheer joy of her sisters. They had been looking forward to the Midnight Meeting for months: it wasn't that often they were allowed to be in the presence of this much men.

In front of her, Arnora tossed her long, strawberry blonde hair gently so that it stroked the face of a stunned wizard she passed. A witch on his left grabbed her wand furiously, but didn't raise it. Just like Arnora to push her luck. Normally, this was the point where all the women teamed up and requested all sirens to leave.

'Spread out.' Ravenna commanded. Their leader always knew precisely when to tone it down. Not that she ever listened to that intuition, but tonight was simply too important to mess up. She and Arnora both went different ways and started mingling. Lavolla grabbed the arm of her youngest sister beside her.

'Yveline, I'm going to look for my uncle. Stay with Freya.' She ordered.

Yveline shrugged off Lavolla's hand and pranced off after Freya.

It wasn't difficult to find Albus Dumbledore; all Lavolla had to do was focus on the familiar presences in the hall. After ten years of living with her sisters, she still didn't possess or control all the regular siren-skills - and sensing spirits was one of the hardest things amongst them, but this was a presence she knew far too well to miss. Finding the friendly face of her uncle, Lavolla smiled automatically.

It was a feeling of great relief to be back with the man who had practically raised her. Lavolla didn´t mind living with her sisters, but as she hugged Albus, it was as if more than a decade of homesickness suddenly washed over her.

'Hello, my dear.' He greeted her affectionately. Lavolla wanted to say something back, but her throat suddenly felt thick and all that came out of her mouth was a sharp breath.

'Ah, I see Ravenna has not been able to destroy your emotions yet, very good.' Albus patted her on the shoulder. 'It´s wonderful to see you again. Now, I want you to meet some of my colleagues.' He took Lavolla by the arm and led her to a black-haired witch wearing a pointy hat, and a young wizard with a pale face who was wearing a turban.

'Quirinus, this is my cousin Lavolla Meren. Lavolla, this is Professor Quirinus Quirrel who is Hogwarts' newest Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. And this here is Professor Minerva McGonagall, Minerva is our loyal Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor. Minerva – Lavolla.'

Quirrell didn't say a word, but stuck out a hand for Lavolla to shake. McGonagall was more heartily in her greeting: she grasped Lavolla's hand and gently squeezed it in her own.

'Albus told me a great deal about you. I´m looking forward to hearing about your time in Norway.´ She said in a voice that was actually a bit too soft for her stern appearance. ´We'll have plenty of time to chat outside our classes this year.´

_Classes?_ Lavolla tilted her head questioningly, but before she could ask McGonagall what she meant, there was a hand on her shoulder.

'Could you come with me for a second, dear?' Dumbledore asked. 'There is someone else I would very much like to introduce to you.'

'Yes, of course. We'll talk later, Professor McGonagall. Pleased to have made your acquaintance, Professor Quirrell.'

Lavolla followed her uncle to a fairly tall man with an unfriendly expression. He was dressed in robes that were as black as his lank hair.

´Severus... Thirsty, are we?' The man was holding a goblet of wine in each hand. 'I would like you to meet my lovely niece, Lavolla Meren.'

The man made one of his goblets disappear. There wasn't the tiniest fraction of change on his cool face. He nodded curtly, but seemed to be about as loquacious as Professor Quirrell.

'Lavolla, this here is Professor Severus Snape. He is our very talented Potions Master.'

'It's nice to meet you, Professor.'

'Indeed it is.' A purring voice came from behind Snape and two elegant hands were suddenly on his shoulders. Yveline. The Professor seemed less uncomfortable or taken aback then Lavolla felt. He didn´t as much as look at the bold young siren who was now clinging to his arm, which was a sign of unbelievable inner strength and discipline. Lavolla was impressed and yet, a little confused. The only other man Lavolla had ever seen resisting the pull of her sisters, was Albus Dumbledore, but there was another explanation than remarkable self- control in his case. It was possible, of course, but most men yielded before they could even think about bracing themselves. Most times, sirens didn't even need their notorious Call.

There was a strange burning sensations on Lavolla's cheeks that was completely new to her and she wanted to hide her face behind her hands. She wasn't too fond of her younger sister anyway, but right now she could have ripped every last one of those golden hairs out of that pretty head of hers. Maybe it was because she felt that this was her territory: this was a colleague of Albus, HER uncle. Yveline and the others had nothing to do with any of them. For the last ten years everything had been about her sisters. Men only spoke to Lavolla if all the _real_ sirens were taken. At those moments, she had made her face look as arrogant as a half-siren could look, and shooed those men away; she was much too proud to take on leftovers.  
Or maybe it was because Snape wasn't looking at Yveline, but at Lavolla. As if this was somehow all her fault. What an odd situation this was becoming. Normally, wizards fought over the attention of Yveline and were sometimes rude enough to ask Lavolla if she could maybe introduce them to her. This man, however, looked at Lavolla as if she had just given him the pocks.

'Yveline, stop that!' Despite the angry hiss, Lavolla´s voice had little to no strength in it. If only Snape would stop staring at her.

'So this is the legendary Yveline?' Dumbledore intervened. 'It's a great pleasure to finally meet you, dear.'

Yveline looked flattered. 'The pleasure is all mine.' She sang in a tone that said: _I am of course lying, you _should_ be thrilled to meet me.__  
_  
Lavolla ignored her uncle's subtle attempt to restore the peace. 'Yveline, I told you to stay with Freya.'

Yveline raised a blonde eyebrow. 'So? I don't have to listen to you, _Ungifted One_. Besides, she's busy babbling with some Veela about friendship and harmony or something.' She turned back to Professor Snape and stroked his jaw line with her index finger. 'So dull.'

The man finally started to show some response to the siren´s shameless flirting: annoyance. Lavolla's cheeks grew hotter and hotter.

'Dull or not, it's the reason were here.' The serene and commanding voice of Ravenna sounded next to Lavolla. Yveline instantly stepped away from Snape.

'I believe we're very swiftly becoming the envy of many men here, Severus.' Dumbledore said. Apparently, this whole situation had been nothing but amusing to him. 'What a joy it is to see you again, Ravenna.'

'Albus.' Ravenna smiled her most charming smile, showing every one of her pearly white teeth. Then, out of the blue, she started sneering and growling in her own Norwegian Mermish dialect. '_You! Find Arnora or Freya and stay with them!_'

Yveline shot a terrified look at her leader and scattered off.

'I'm so sorry you had to witness that.' Ravenna said lightly to the two men, restoring her composure immediately.

Lavolla wished she could muster the courage to look at Snape, but she feared she already knew what she would find on his face. Not being enticed by Yveline was one thing, but Lavolla couldn't imagine anyone even _wanting_ to defy Ravenna. Even though the wizard in black had looked at Lavolla with anger, he had chosen to look at _her _instead of her sister. Lavolla would have preferred him to glare at her with all the rage and fury in him, than for his dark eyes to have moved on to lovingly gaze at her Ravenna.

'That's quite alright.' Albus answered politely. 'Ravenna, I'm sure you have much to attend to here tonight, but do you think you could spare me a moment of your precious time?'

The hairs on the back of Lavolla's neck rose in alarm. They couldn't leave her alone with the Potion Master! She didn't want to shoo him like she did other men (even if she did, she doubted it would have much effect on this one), but speaking to him wasn't exactly on her wish-list either.

'Please, Albus.' Ravenna began. 'I'm immortal; all I do with my time is kill it. Excuse us for a moment.'

_No, no, no!_ Lavolla longed to have Freya's gift at that moment, being able to make others feel what she wanted. But she did not have anything of the sort and the only people that had ever protected her in her life, turned their backs on her and walked away. How symbolic.

Lavolla half expected Snape to stumble after Ravenna, but he didn't move a muscle. She forced herself to look at him and was startled by his piercing eyes that were still fixed on her own. When Lavolla did nothing but stare back at them for a while, he finally blinked and drank his wine. Then he spoke.

'So you're the substitute.' Perhaps it had been meant to be a question, but it sounded like a statement.

'I'm the what?' But as soon as Lavolla had formulated her question, she'd remembered McGonagall's remark about talking between classes. She added her uncle's crafty mind and she'd found her answer.

´Oh, for goodness´ sake, Albus!´ She muttered. ´No. No, I´m not.´ What was that knot, forming in her stomach? Lavolla felt it growing each time she met this man's fuming eyes. 'I´ll be going back to Norway next week.´

´Good.´ Snape said brusquely. 'Because we don't need a substitute at Hogwarts.' After those words, he stormed off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Flames were dancing in the fireplace. Severus drank his firewhisky and furiously threw the empty glass in them. It broke into a hundred little pieces amidst the burning wood. Fuming with anger, Severus cursed the half-siren once more. He hated Lavolla Meren. Hated the way he couldn't get her out of his head, the way she made him lose control over his own thoughts and how little he understood and knew about her so that unanswerable questions popped up in his mind every bloody minute. But most of all, Severus hated that he hadn't seen her since the Meeting and probably wouldn't ever again. And he _hated_ that he hated that.

After having left the woman standing in the middle of the crowd at the Midnight Meeting, Severus had made a poor and transparent excuse to Dumbledore and Disapparated back to Hogwarts. He realized Lucius Malfoy had been correct – she was a sneaky creature. The only difference between Meren and her shameless sisters was that the pure-blooded ones didn't keep their intentions a secret whilst_ she_ pretended to be like any other witch. Which did nothing but make her more traitorous. She could not teach at a school! The whole place would turn into chaos.

But there had to be a way out. A release from her spell. All sirens could, with much power and concentration, be resisted. With determined strides, Severus walked to his gigantic collection of books that was neatly sorted in long rows. He grabbed the leather back of a thick, deep green book from the second highest shelf. The small dust bunnies that came along with it, twirled down to the stone floor. Severus hastily sought through the fragile pages.

_Q, R, S… Sea Serpent, Sea Dragon, Shrake… _

_Siren. An immortal enchantress with the exterior of an impossibly beautiful woman. When under water, the body of a siren turns into that of a mermaid, exchanging the legs for a fishtail. It is said, that sirens are even more attractive under water. Most sirens prefer this body over their human form. However, when angered they can take on a third form: their hands become claws, eyes turn completely white and their voices lose their singing sound and take on a catlike snarl . Sirens mostly inhabit lakes, but can also be found in rivers…_

Severus let his finger glide down the page until he found the sequence that he was looking for.

…_exceptionally alluring singing voice that is referred to as the Call. Sirens use this Call to hypnotize men in order to dominate and control them. Some clans choose to kill and devour their victims after getting a hold on them, while others use them as servants… Many have tried to release loved ones from these spells, but the majority have failed to succeed. This is mostly due to the fact that there are crucial differences between various clans. Therefore, one should investigate the clan in question before constructing a solid anti-spell.___

_Fantastic_. Severus thought scornfully. He was certain he didn't have any information on the Norwegian clan Dumbledore's niece was a part of in his quarters, but it was possible there was something useful in the restricted section of the library. It was terribly late, but Severus knew he wouldn't be able to find rest until he had sorted this out anyway.

´I have always loved this place.´ Lavolla said as she sat down in an antique armchair in Dumbledore´s office. Two days had passed since the Meeting and after hours of talking about entertaining but unimportant things, Lavolla and her uncle had finally gotten to the business end. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk and Fawkes was audibly nibbling on something green. It was dark outside and the burning oil-lamp on the wooden desk was flickering softly.

´The Forbidden Forest, the Great Hall, that hazard of a staircase. Remember how angry I was when you told me Ravenna was taking me with her to Norway instead of letting me be schooled at Hogwarts?' Lavolla grinned at the memory. 'Don´t get me wrong, Albus; I would love to live here for a year or so, but I just cannot see how!'

There was that odd, victorious look in Dumbledore's eyes that Lavolla knew all too well. 'It just so happens, that I might have found the solution to that problem.'

Lavolla narrowed her eyes at him. 'Yes, I've heard about that. And so has your entire staff apparently.'

'Speaking of which: what did you think of them? Especially Quirrell.'

´I don´t know. Alright, I guess.´ The truth was Lavolla barely remembered Quirrell. The Midnight Meeting was a blur with just a few sharp memories that consisted of black eyes and robes. _What did Quirrell´s face look like?_ She honestly couldn't remember anything apart from that thing on his head.

'Why does he wear that turban?'

'It was given to Quirinus by an African Prince after he had aided him in defeating a zombie. Had an exceptional mind, that man. Such a shame he lost his nerves after those vampire related incidents.'

'What do you mean?'

Her uncle looked at her intently, as if he was thinking something over. 'Oh right, you probably missed that entirely. Normally, Professor Quirrell has quite a few twitches. Stuttering and trembling mostly.'

Lavolla shook her head. 'I did not notice anything like that.'

'I know. Peculiar that.' Dumbledore paused and looking over the rim of his glasses, he tapped his fingertips against each other. 'Are you sure you haven't developed a Call yet?'

Lavolla sighed. 'Not a chance. Ravenna says I should have been able to Call since I was fifteen. I think she's angry with me about it. Ah, well, one more bonus of being a siren I'll never have. Not that I miss the ability to turn men into mindless slaves, but it's _another_ thing Yveline can use against me.' Anger started to rage inside of her like a storm. Her temper was one of the few things Lavolla had in common with a siren. 'It's never bothered me I can't do all the things my sisters can this much, but it's just that _she_ makes it so bloody obvious that my strength is as limited as it is!'

'Yes, Yveline. She's quite… something, isn't she?'

A bitter laugh escaped Lavolla's lips. 'Impossible is the word you're looking for. And she's got a _great_ gift, too.' She could practically taste the disdain in her words. Ravenna, Arnora, Freya, they all had different specialties, each one of them incredibly helpful at times. But Yveline's was the most powerful of all, and the most terrifying.

Dumbledore didn't say anything, knowing she would tell him whether he asked about it or not. He had seen Lavolla spew out her frustration a thousand times before.

'Yveline has the ability to see someone's worst fear and torture them by making them live it.' She swallowed. 'It's only in your mind, of course, but the experience feels so startlingly real.'

'She has used this trick on you?' Dumbledore inquired, there was a hint of anger in his voice, but not surprise.

Lavolla shivered slightly and her eyes went glassy. 'She… practiced on me. With Ravenna's consent nonetheless. You see, Yveline's gift doesn't work on sirens, as the little fears they have are too shallow.'

There was a furious flicker in Dumbledore's wise eyes, but when he spoke, he sounded nonchalant. 'The more reason to stay here for a while.'

Lavolla grinned wistfully. 'As I said, it would be wonderful, but it's simply too complicated! For one: I cannot teach. I may be able to talk a little about Care of Magical Creatures or Ancient Runes, but that's it!'

'Nonsense. Ravenna and I taught you well.' Dumbledore looked at his cousin, who crossed her arms in front of her and sank back in the soft chair.

'Professor Snape says you don't need a substitute.' She said stubbornly, almost like a child. Lavolla didn't like the way this behavior was making her look, but the Potions Master had struck a nerve by talking to her the way he had. Why exactly, she did not know, but that sneer of him had been replaying in her mind non-stop.

'Well, actually…' Dumbledore paused. The half-moon spectacles on his nose reflected the light from the oil-lamp. 'We don't.'

Lavolla gasped. 'Albus!' She cried out. 'Do you have any idea how stupid and spoiled that makes me look?! Being hired purely because of family ties.' She covered her cheeks with her hands. 'Gods, this is so embarrassing!'

'Don't be silly, dear.' Dumbledore shushed in a steady voice. 'If I say Hogwarts is in need of a substitute, no one will doubt it. You have many interesting stories to tell, nobody can deny that, not even Severus. Speaking of which – you should forgive him his bluntness, for you shall have to put up with a great deal of it when you're working here.'

'Albus, would you listen to me?!' Lavolla jumped up out of the old armchair. 'I. Cannot. Live. Nor. Teach. Here.' She over articulated each word. She realized she started to sound high-pitched and screechy, but couldn't care less.

'Yes, you can and you shall.' Dumbledore told her in a composed voice. 'I've already discussed everything with Ravenna. She is not counting on you to return to Norway.'

Lavolla bit her bottom lip angrily and stared at her uncle in disbelief. 'You. didn't.' She hissed.

'I'm sorry, my dearest, but I most definitely have. Now, if you could be so good as to sit back down, I will explain the details to you.'

'How enraged do I have to get for you to take me seriously?!' Lavolla yelled. Fawkes clapped his scarlet wings in protest at the penetrating sound. 'I will NOT sit down and I will NOT WORK HERE JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE TELLING ME TO!' Her last words were so shrill that they were almost inaudible. Lavolla felt as if she were ten years old again screaming: 'No, I will NOT eat my vegetables!' She always did in the end.

She stomped towards the door and let out a shout of frustration. Outside her uncle's office, she gave the doorknob a jerk and it slammed shut with a loud bang.

The tip of Severus' wand spread a blue light around it. His wand-free hand he used to hold the two books he found in the restricted section, pressing them between his arm and his chest. It seemed there was little known about sirens and even less about individual clans. And to make matters even worse, it had turned out there wasn't just the one clan in Norway – there were seven.

At this late hour and with the school not opened yet, Severus hadn't expected that there would be anyone roaming the corridors apart from him. Therefore he was surprised when he heard quick footsteps coming from around the corner. Before Severus knew it, someone roughly bumped into him. The crash sent both the books and his wand tumbling to the ground.

'Watch where you're going!' Severus snarled, crouching to recollect his possessions. The other person did the same.

'Sorry. ' Even though it was a soft, murmuring – and somewhat irritated voice that made the apology, it was unmistakably female.

Severus reached for his still lit wand and thrust it in the direction of the figure kneeling down in front of him. It was the half-siren.

Lavolla Meren turned her face away from the light at first, blinded by the sudden and near brightness, but after blinking a couple of times she made an attempt to see the person opposite her.

As soon as she did, her eyes grew a little larger and she rose. Holding the books Severus had just picked up. She looked down at them, but before she could get the chance to read their titles, Severus snatched them from her hands.

'Thank you.' He sneered cynically and marched away.

A mental debate instantly began. One part of Severus hoped Lavolla truly hadn't seen what the books were concerning; the other, bigger part told him he didn't care. Severus would make sure the last part would conquer the rest, but there was another alarming matter.

The fresh intake of those eyes had made the wish to release himself from her enchantment go up in smoke. _Damn her_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Severus entered the Great Hall after Quirrell and the right corner of his mouth curled up. He was more than pleased with the task Dumbledore had trusted him with. Apparently, the Headmaster was not entirely convinced of Quirrell´s loyalty and earlier that day, he had asked Severus to keep a close eye on the D.A.D.A. teacher. Which had been a most satisfying offer and Severus had _almost_ eagerly, accepted.

The long, rectangular tables in the Great Hall were still empty and so were the seats surrounding them. The Hogwarts Express had only just arrived and the students were still on their way to the castle. On a stool in front of the Head table, was a wooden stool on which the old, smudgy Sorting Hat was waiting to tell the first years whether they would be in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Ravenclaw. The ceiling was a slightly clouded, starry night sky and beneath it were countless burning candles, floating in the air.

Dumbledore was already sitting in the middle of the Head table, in his own golden chair. On both his left and right, professors were starting to take their seats. Before Flitwick could take the last remaining chair beside Quirrell, Severus took two large, hasty strides and nearly knocked the small professor over. There was a soft, protesting mumbling, but Severus was already arranging his black robes over his legs and chair.

Quirrell shot an anxious look at the dark-haired wizard next to him and chuckled nervously.

'E-evening, P-professor Snape.'

Severus merely growled in response.

A quick whisper went through the group of professors and Quirrell swallowed audibly. Within the fraction of a second, Severus had guessed what had caused this minor disturbance. There was a strong desire to follow the wondering, curious stares of his colleagues, but he forced himself to fix his eyes on the floating candles ahead of him.

Severus had decided to stop blaming himself for the strange effect Lavolla Meren had on him. From the two books he had found in the school library, Severus had learned that it was nearly impossible not to be even a little bit affected by the song of the sirens. His feelings were a lost cause. Instead, he was now focusing on the fight for the control over his body and actions. Severus had done a lot of reading on sirens and had even been able to figure out what clan this half-breed belonged to. Considering the relatively small size of their group, this clan could not be very old. Norwegian sirens were, as Severus had learned, known to be the most powerful ones because they lived in such large groups. An average Norwegian clan had at least ten members. Lavolla only had four sisters, which made them somewhat of an outcast not only in Norway, but throughout entire Scandinavia.

He knew now that Lavolla´s clan lived in Lake Breimsvatnet. He was quite sure that he was on the right track with this information, but there were still some small details he couldn´t explain. For example, the book he had found the sirens of Breimsvatnet in, stated that it was a group of _six_ sirens and the rest of the story made it quite clear that these were all purebloods. Also, the name of the leader that was mentioned was "Runa". Though Severus was certain that at the Midnight Meeting, he had heard Dumbledore call the siren in charge "Ravenna". But that could easily be an error.

Severus was pondering these last questions over and had only vaguely noticed that the students were already seated. Apart from the first years, who were still with McGonagall.

There was that pull again, as if someone had grasped Severus' chin and was jerking at it. The siren was singing. He wondered if he dared cast a look at her. The fact that he wanted to only made him more determined to keep his eyes straight ahead. On the other hand, it would prove his strength if he could look away again after a quick peek. Perhaps, if he could defy her once, the spell would break. Severus decided that this theory was worth a chance. Instinctively, he knew where to find her. Sitting on the Headmaster's left, Lavolla Meren was staring right back at Severus.

There was no way he would be able to look away first.

Lavolla's heart leaped up her throat as her eyes were met by Severus Snape's piercing, hostile gaze. She hadn't realized that she'd been watching him instead of Quirrell. When had that happened?

She could feel herself blushing again. Lavolla had _never_ blushed until she'd met the Potions Master and now she did it all the time. She was very grateful that Yveline couldn't see her right now.

'Are you alright, my dear?' Dumbledore asked next to her.

'Fine.' She muttered back.

Right then, the high wooden doors opened and in came McGonagall. She was followed by the first year students, who where all looking both amazed and anxious. They all stopped in front of the wooden stool with the pointy hat on top of it. Lavolla knew exactly what that Hat was and did, but she had never seen it in action. When it started to sing, she felt as if she was eleven years old again: envying all the children that were allowed into Hogwarts. When it had finished, both teachers and students clapped.

Then the sorting began and after the first ten, Lavolla's mind wandered off again. From the corner of her eye she shot a glance at Snape, but he wasn't looking at her anymore so she dared to turn her head in his direction. There was an odd expression on the Potions Master's face as he stared at a skinny first year wizard with glasses.

Quirrell said something to Snape and Lavolla quickly turned to the witch sitting next to her. She had never been good at talking to strangers – she always sounded either like a complete idiot, or unintentionally, but unbelievably rude, so she was glad to find out that the witch had not even noticed her.

The Great Hall was suddenly full of whispers. Dumbledore was leaning forward over the table and everybody was eyeing the boy with glasses. He sat on the wooden stool and McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on his black-haired head. After a while, the Hat screamed:

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Once more, there was applause. Lavolla leaned towards her uncle.

'Who is that?'

'That… is Harry Potter.' Dumbledore said, sounding a bit formally.

'Really?!' Lavolla was astonished. Like any other member of the Wizarding world, Lavolla had off course heard about The Boy Who Lived.

'I told you it would be interesting to work at Hogwarts this year.' Dumledore said with a smile. Then he stood up and spread his arms.

He gave a short and strange welcoming speech and suddenly all tables were filled with overloaded plates, bowls and dishes.

Once more, Lavolla couldn't resist letting her eyes glide over the dark features of Professor Snape.

'Lavolla,' Dumbledore said in a hushed voice. 'I know I told you to watch Professor Quirrell, but I didn't mean all the time.'

Ripping off a piece of bread, Lavolla frowned angrily. 'Don't start. I could have been back at home by now.'

'Yes, yes, dear. I know.'

Lavolla sighed. She still couldn't believe she had let her uncle get his way, as usual. Nibbling on the bread, she thought back to their conversation earlier that day.

'_Don't you think these are glorious quarters?' Dumbledore asked meaningfully as he watched his cousin pack up her things. ' The view of the lake from here is marvelous as well. They're yours if you want them, you know?'_

'_Please, Albus!' Lavolla exclaimed, folding up a blouse and stuffing it in her travel bag. She didn't want to get into this again; losing her temper always made her feel drained and weak. 'Does my wish not matter to you at all?'_

'Of course it does, love.' Dumbledore said gently, remorse spreading across his wrinkled face. 'But I know you well enough to know that this is not about reluctance as much as it is about your pride.'

'_And what if it is? I'm still not doing it, I'm not staying. I have just finished babysitting Yveline, I'm done dealing with youngsters for a while. Maybe after some time, when I know a little more about a subject.' Lavolla turned around to face her uncle . 'When you have a _real_ job opening.'_

'_I already have one.' _

'_No, you don't.' _

'_Well, not officially, no. But I do honestly need your help.' Dumbledore said. _

_Lavolla rarely heard him speak in such a serious tone, so she stopped folding and packing for a moment, and sat down on the large four-poster bed._

'What could you_ possibly need _my_ help with?'_

_Dumbledore was standing in front of the open window with his hands behind his back. _

'_I'm afraid there is a member of my staff who I can no longer trust.' He said, a bit dreamily._

'_Who?'_

'_Quirinus Quirrell.'_

_Lavolla thought that over. She still had not seen him twitching or stuttering, but from what she'd heard he was nothing but a bundle of nerves. It was hard to imagine someone that shy could be of any danger. Then again, Ravenna had always thought Lavolla that those who seemed to be the opposite of suspicion, where usually the ones to look out for. Besides, Dumbledore was not the person to doubt someone without reason. _

'_What has that got to do with me?' Lavolla asked._

'_Nothing.' Dumbledore turned and smiled. 'It's just that I would be so much more comfortable having him teach the students when I knew someone capable was watching him for me.'_

_Very clever to throw in a compliment. The siren within Lavolla could not help but feel flattered._

'_I'm sure you have plenty of other "capable" helpers here.'_

'_A few.' Dumbledore nodded. 'But even_ if_ I would have… let's say, Professor Snape watch him, he could never follow Quirrell's every move as he has a job to do beside spying.'_

_Lavolla rubbed her forehead. She didn't know when exactly it had happened, but she knew her uncle had won; she could see it in his half-smile. _

'_What do I say when someone asks me who I am or what I'm doing here?' She asked, defeated. _

_The half-smile on Dumbledore's face spread into a wide grin. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

It had been several weeks since the arrival of the students, but Lavolla still had not quite settled in yet. During the day, she spent her time studying in her own quarters; she was terrified that she would one day actually been summoned to fill in for a teacher that had fallen ill or something.

She could always summon a house-elf to bring her some food, so there was no reason to go anywhere else. Apart from short trips to her uncle's office, but he was often very busy. In the evening though, when Quirrell didn't have any classes, she snuck out. Carefully hiding her face under the hood of her long, black cloak all the time.

The professor mostly worked in his office for a while before retreating to his quarters. However, one night Lavolla had managed to follow him after he had slipped out of the castle to disappear into the Forbidden Forest, which was where she had lost him. It had been a little naive of the Professor, whether his subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts or not, to go into the forest on his own at nighttime, but Lavolla couldn't think of anything that made a midnight walk suspicious.

The only thing she thought was off, was the way he almost seemed like a different person when he was on his own. Naturally, it was possible one felt a bit more at ease without anyone watching them, but the way Quirrell had changed behavior one time when Lavolla had silently pursued him, was remarkable to say the least. When Quirrell had left his office, there had been an almost angry expression on his face and his entire posture had showed strength and authority. Then Argus Filch had crossed his path and immediately Quirrell was stuttering, squeezing his own hands and blinking obsessively. Lavolla had quickly sneaked into the lavatory before Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, could give her away.

But other than that, there was nothing strange in Quirrell's ways and this made Lavolla feel even more useless than she already did. Therefore, she had gotten more and more devoted to her spying and had missed hours, even entire nights of sleep. There was no other option than to start living a life like that of a bat - sleeping during the day and waking up as the sun was setting.

Freya, Lavolla's favorite sister, wrote to her occasionally. Now that Lavolla was no longer living with them, Yveline had picked out Freya as a new target for her sadistic games. But Freya, though younger than her half-blood sister, was much stronger than Lavolla. Just not as strong as Arnora or Ravenna. Quite selfishly, Lavolla was glad to be far away from Yveline's ever growing powers. Being partly human made her vulnerable.

As autumn washed over Hogwarts, the nights got colder and Lavolla was thankful for the thick fabric of her cloak when she watched Quirrell head outside. She silently counted to ten before leaving her hiding place behind a massive stone pillar and went after the professor.

As Lavolla had expected, Quirrell went for the Forbidden Forest again. Determined to not lose her objective this time, Lavolla closed the distance between her and Quirrell. In the darkness of both the night and trees she wasn't worried about being seen. But she had to walk more carefully, for her feet could betray her by snapping twigs and crushing dry leaves underneath them.

Unexpectedly, there was a cracking sound and Lavolla instantly took cover behind a giant tree.

Silence.

But it was the kind of silence that brought with it a feeling of doom. A silence that was worse than the most gruesome sound. All Lavolla heard was the sound of her own heart that was beating so fast she couldn't breathe, and so loud she was afraid Quirrell might hear it. Quirrell, or someone else. For the noise that had caused this deafening silence had come from behind Lavolla.

After a few seconds, she heard Quirrell stirring again and the sound of his light footsteps began to die away, but Lavolla felt like she had been stunned. Fear had overtaken courage and she feverishly tried to think of what to do. It could have just been a rabbit or a fox, of course. Quirrell seemed to have come to a similar conclusion. After all, Quirrell and Lavolla were hardly the sole breathing, moving beings in the Forbidden Forest. Yet, something told Lavolla she wasn't in the presence of harmless animals here.

Impossible as it had seemed earlier, Lavolla's heart started to beat even more frantically when suddenly there was what seemed an explosion of movement and sound. Before she knew it, before she had time to even think of running, two hands roughly grasped the collar of her cloak and pushed her against the tree that had given her cover earlier.

Instinctively, Lavolla's trembling hands shot up at the stranger's ruthless ones and grasped them. Her attacker's grip loosened ever so slightly, but his snarl was menacing. Menacing, but familiar.

'Who are you? Show yourself!'

'Professor Snape?' Lavolla squeaked.

One of Snape's hands released itself from Lavolla's and in one swift, harsh motion, pulled down her hood. He brought his face a little closer to hers and she watched his expression change from furious bewilderment to relief, and from relief to seething anger.

'What do you think you're doing here, Miss Meren?!'

'I – my uncle, he – I can explain.' Lavolla stammered.

'Please. Do.' Even though he was only whispering, Lavolla could hear the aversion and sarcasm on Snape's tongue.

'I'm supposed to keep an eye on Professor Quirrell.' Lavolla blurted out, panicked. Snape's face was now tantalizingly close and she felt very strange under his scrutiny. On one hand it made her feel small and uncomfortable, on the other, there was an unknown, but not entirely unpleasant feeling in her stomach.

'_What?!_' Snape spat, barely containing his voice now.

'I swear it's the truth. Please, ask Albus if you wish, but don't give me away.' Lavolla pleaded.

'Give_ you_ away?! I beg your pardon, Miss Meren, but you have constantly been in my way.' Snape snarled in her ear. 'And I DON'T mean just tonight. I take it was you who was also tracking Quirrell the previous time he stepped out?'

Lavolla nodded apprehensively.

'Don't flatter yourself unnecessarily, Miss Meren – your uncle doesn't trust your abilities as blindly as you think he does.'

That was exactly the jab at her pride Lavolla needed for her courage to be triggered. She put all her rage in shaking of Snape's hands and frowned heatedly.

'You were watching Quirrell, as well?!'

'What brilliant insights you possess, Miss Meren. Does it hurt your siren-vanity to know that I'm not here because of you?' Snape spoke slowly and his words were drenched with satisfaction.

Lavola's jaw dropped in offense.

'How _dare_ you!' She breathed incredulously. Then a smug grin formed on her lips. 'Oh, I see!' She said sweetly. 'That's what you read in those books of yours, is it not?'

Snape flinched, but only just. 'Again, do not think too highly of yourself.' He answered calmly. Then he turned around and marched back to the edge of the forest.

Lavolla watched him walk away for the third time since she had met the Potions Master. She had completely forgotten about Quirrell and after her fury had subsided somewhat, she ran after Snape.

_Unbelievable!_ Severus slammed the door of his quarters shut behind him and threw off his cloak. It was so typical of Dumbledore to have Severus share a task with the exact person he had been trying so hard to avoid. Rather successfully, as he hadn't seen Lavolla Meren since the start of the school year. Or at least, not in the flesh, because her face had haunted him constantly.

What also bothered him was how incredibly irresponsible it had been of her to go into the Forbidden Forest alone. Had she lost her mind?! Had she not yet noticed Quirrell was bad news?! To go after him unprotected like that, she must have a death wish or something.

Severus only realized he had been standing still in the middle of his room, when a knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. Rolling his eyes, he opened it.

Lavolla Meren was standing in the dark corridor. The kindness in her face made Severus feel a little uneasy. For a while, both of them did nothing but stare at each other, but then Lavolla smiled shyly.

'I'm sorry about what I said in the forest.' She said gently.

Severus arched his eyebrows: even though he never would, he knew he was the one to apologize.

'The thing about the books?' Lavolla clarified, growing insecure by his silence.

Severus shot her an irritated look. Of course he knew what she meant – it had surprisingly distressed him to learn that Lavolla had indeed known what books Severus had picked up, that night they had bumped into each other.

Lavolla took a hesitant step closer to the door opening. Severus leaned away from her.

'Look,' She said. 'I know you're mad at Albus for including me in this and at me for… well, for being here, I guess.'

The small, uncertain voice in which she spoke seriously annoyed Severus, but at the same time made him want to reassure her somehow.

'But it wouldn't make sense for us to go about this separately, would it?' Lavolla went on. 'I mean…' She was visibly struggling with her next words. ' I could use your help.'

Severus deliberated that for a moment. It couldn't hurt to talk this over so she wouldn't be obstructing him the way she had. He ignored the part of his brain that warned him not to spend another second with this treacherous creature. The past weeks had proven he didn't have to see Lavolla Meren on a regular basis in order to have her visit him in his every thought.

'I suppose you could watch Quirrell during the times he isn't teaching and I am. We'll follow him together after dinner.' He opted in a uninterested voice.

'Well, actually, I'd rather – ' Lavolla protested, but was interrupted by Severus.

'Goodnight, Miss Meren.' He said while closing the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The cold of the night softly bit Lavolla's cheeks and the heavy wind constantly tried to blow off her hood. A waxing moon hid behind the huge clouds that were swiftly floating over Hogwarts. It was after midnight, but a light was still burning at Hagrid's. Clearly, he was brewing something, because a glorious, rich scent of food and fire rose up from his chimney and filled the outside air.

Lavolla and Snape were standing in the middle of a small clutter of trees, waiting for Quirrell to return from another trip into the Forbidden Forest. It was the fourth time he had gone out there at night – or at least, that Lavolla knew of. She and Snape had decided not to follow him there anymore, seeing as though they always lost him between the trees. Lavolla was glad. Strangely, the safe feeling of a companion had made her see all the dangers that lurked in the darkness of the forest. Thinking of what could have happened to her if she had gone after Quirrell tonight, Lavolla shivered.

It was the end of October and Lavolla and Snape had been working together for almost a month now. There were days they didn't see each other at all, though. During the weekends for example, when Lavolla took the nightshifts and Severus watched Quirrell during the day as he needed the nightly hours to grade papers and see to other school related matters. Lavolla had never had a relationship like the one she had with Snape, if that's how you could even call their interactions.

He hardly ever said a word to her and when he did, he spoke in snarls and growls and not once had he greeted or even acknowledged her presence at dinner, to which he had practically forced Lavolla to go. But most of the hostility in his eyes had faded over time and Lavolla had actually grown to appreciate his company, however cool it was. He had a strange effect on her. She knew very well how little control she had over her temper, especially when people managed to hit her most vulnerable spot: her pride. And Snape never missed a shot. But ever since their meeting in the forest, the insults Snape occasionally fired at Lavolla did nothing but calm her down. Sometimes she was even able to ignore his nasty comments completely. It was as if the collision of both their egos had made her realize there could only be a limited amount of pride between two people.

This was only in the case of her and Snape, though. Lavolla had not shown the same patience and tolerance whilst telling her uncle that she did not care for the way he had handled the communication with and between "his spies". Dumbledore had let her rage and yell for a while. Afterwards, Lavolla had composed herself again and let the well-known feeling of guilt wash over her. She had told her uncle she was sorry for her tirade, as always. And later, when she was back in her quarters there had been the other familiar feeling of wanting to hit herself on the head with something heavy for letting Dumbledore get away with receiving an apology when he was supposed to be the one to offer it. Again, as always.

'Professor?'

'Miss Meren?' Snape replied irritably. Lavolla grinned and shook her head in amazement: how was it that even when she had not said anything to Snape apart from a 'Good evening, Professor', he still made her feel as if she _really_ needed to shut it already.

'What do you think Quirrell is doing out there?'

Snape didn't answer directly. Instead, he moved a few steps forward and stood next to Lavolla. As their eyes met, Snape frowned, but it was a thinking kind of frown, not an angry one. Lavolla decided she liked that look on him and suddenly she seemed incapable of inhaling even the smallest amount of air.

'Have you not made any assumptions of your own?' Snape asked in return.

'Not really.' Lavolla whispered. Or maybe she had, she couldn't think straight with her brain lacking oxygen like this.

'Miss Meren, are you alright?' Snape asked in his usual "gentle" manner.

Lavolla grasped her waist with one hand and straightened her back. Slowly, her lungs started to work again. She'd been experiencing abrupt breathing difficulties like this a lot lately and they didn't scare her anymore. The only thing that was alarming about it, was that they didn't feel unpleasant at all.

'I'm fine. Please continue.'

Snape examined her for a second or two before opening his mouth to speak.

'I assume you know about the remarkable abilities of unicorn blood?'

Lavolla gasped in horror.

'Albus told me about the dead unicorn Hagrid found the other day… That was Quirrell?! He killed it?! For its _blood_?!' A wave of nausea swept over her.

'Keep your voice down, Miss Meren!' Snape hissed. 'And yes. We have reason enough to believe that Quirrell is responsible for that unicorn's death.'

Lavolla tilted her head. 'We? Who's we?'

Snape looked at her as if she was one of his students who didn't know the right answer to a question.

'Me and Dumbledore, obviously.'

'You talk about Quirrell without me?' Lavolla asked indignantly.

As deeply as Snape had frowned earlier, so high he now pulled up his eyebrows and there was something close to a smirk playing on his lips.

'Do you wish to be summoned every time Quirrell is mentioned?'

'No!' Lavolla exclaimed. 'I just…' She sighed and rubbed her forehead. 'Never mind.'

'Anyway, we assume that he wants to use the blood for the same reason he is after the Stone.'

'Stone?' Lavolla asked sheepishly.

Snape looked at her with frustration. 'The Philosopher's Stone.'

'The one that bestows immortality upon its owner?!' Lavolla gaped at Snape incredulously. The latter nodded once, narrowing his eyes in puzzlement.

'Dumbledore did not speak to you about this?'

Lavolla said nothing. She merely looked at Snape, stunned about this revelation about Quirrell. Not about the fact that Albus had kept her in the dark about these fairly important facts – after all these years she had pretty much gotten used to her uncle's mysterious ways. Not that she didn't feel some resentment towards him at the moment.

'Quirrell… wants… the Philosopher's Stone?' She asked hesitantly.

'We believe so, yes .'

Lavolla opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it again. Then she bit her bottom lip before finally speaking.

'He can't get to it, can he? The Stone, I mean.' She asked, worried. 'We'll watch him extra carefully whenever he leaves Hogwarts.' She added fervently.

Something peculiar happened in Snape's eyes: first, there was a short glance that was close to softness, then there was something like realization which flowed into irritation. It all happened within a second, but Lavolla saw it very clearly.

'Think faster, Miss Meren!' He growled. 'The Stone is hidden in the castle. On the third floor to be precise.'

Lavolla's eyes widened. She felt awfully nervous all of a sudden.

'Is it safe there?! I _hope_ Filch is not the only one guarding it?'

'Do you honestly think Quirrell wouldn't have obtained the Stone by now if that were the case?!' He spat, rolling his eyes. 'It's guarded quite well indeed.'

Lavolla nodded. It was an insult to Albus' intelligence to assume he would have left something so rare and valuable as the Philosopher's Stone somewhere unprotected and available to anyone tempted by the smell of immortality.

'So Quirrell wants to be immortal.' She concluded, letting the information sink in.

'Perhaps.' Snape said leisurely. 'But it is more likely that he is working for someone else.'

'Like who?'

'Is there no one you can think of who would turn to such a coldhearted and yet desperate act as slaying a unicorn to preserve their own life?'

Lavolla's head turned abruptly and she gaped at the Forbidden Forest with fright.

'You couldn't possibly mean that Quirrell works for…' She swallowed.

'We cannot be sure, but yes, that is the most probable explanation for Quirrell's behavior we can find.' Snape's voice was much milder now and he moved closer to Lavolla, who focused her eyes on him.

'Gods, I'm glad you're here with me.' It was out before she knew it and Lavolla patiently waited for Snape's sneer. He didn't seem to be the sort of person to appreciate confessions like this. But then something happened that made the butterflies in Lavolla's stomach wake up and flutter around like mad. Even though his lips remained pushed together in a straight line, his black eyes smiled at her.

Lavolla followed McGonagall and Dumbledore into the Great Hall, where the scent of pumpkin drifted in the air. The usual floating candles had been replaced by Jack-O-Lanterns, and bats fluttered above the heads of the students. The golden plates on both the four house tables and the Head table were barely visible under the great amounts of wonderful food they offered. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Dumbledore was glimpsing at her as she admired the hall.

'Remind me, dear – your sisters do not celebrate Halloween, do they?' He asked innocently.

Lavolla chuckled, shook her head and took the chair on her uncle's left. She was happy to note that the students had gotten used to her now and they no longer pointed and whispered. She, on her part, had grown accustomed to another new routine. One that allowed her to see sunlight again and people. The evenings and nights Lavolla and Snape spied on Quirrell, were less awkward, though still mostly spent in silence. He didn't snarl or try to insult her as often as he had, but occasionally he apparently couldn't help it. Lavolla generally didn't mind: she understood that Snape was never going to be one to flatter, compliment or chat just for the sake of it. It had taken her a while to admit to herself why Snape effected her the way he did – she liked him. Very much even. Naturally, a part of her had known all along, but a larger part much rather denied it. During the years with her clan, Lavolla had gotten so used to being quite self-centered and it had been absolutely unsettling to feel for someone else again. On top of that, there had always been only a handful of people she had ever cared for beside herself: her mother, Ravenna, Dumbledore and her sisters Arnora and Freya (and all except for Albus were very complicated relationships with more downs than ups).

Still, there was no denying the butterflies in her stomach, the way her breathing simply stopped when Severus looked at her with the slightest trace of kindness and why she wondered what he was doing every other minute she wasn't with him.

She knew exactly where Snape was sitting at the Head Table: his was the only other presence beside Dumbledore's that she had studied so well, she could locate it blindly.

'Lavolla, you _must_ try this.' Dumbledore poured a silvery liquid into Lavolla's goblet, but before she had a chance to taste it, Quirrell came storming into the Great Hall.

All eyes focused on the seemingly terrified professor. When he'd reached the Head Table, he leaned on it with both hands and looked at Dumbledore. He panted something about a troll in the basement. After having delivered this announcement, he fainted.

It was still difficult to picture this man going into the woods at night to murder unicorns, let alone working alongside Voldemort. But as soon as Lavolla had reminded herself of these crimes Snape and Albus suspected Quirrell of, she was able to see right through this act of his. Right away, she eyed Snape who shot her an agitated look. Quirrell hadn't fooled him either.

Chaos erupted at the tables of the students and it was only after Dumbledore had shot a couple of purple sparks out of his wand, that everyone quieted down. The Headmaster told the prefects to guide their houses back to their dormitories and for the teachers to come with him. However, Snape exited the Hall through the teacher's entrance behind him. Lavolla darted after him.

Even though she was running, she could hardly catch up with Snape. When she did, their eyes met shortly.

'Third floor?' Lavolla asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Snape nodded and simultaneously they quickened their pace. They were walking so fast that they almost lost their balance when a huge group of Hufflepuffs all of a sudden crossed their paths. The students were too frightened to even notice Snape, or his expression of pure rage and frustration. It felt like hours before the Hufflepuffs were finally out of their way and Lavolla and Snape practically bolted away.

Apart from a lost bat, The Third Floor seemed deserted when they arrived there.

'What do we do now?' Lavolla breathed between gasps for air.

Snape brought a finger to his lips in order to silence her and beckoned her to follow him. He led her to a large and ugly gargoyle. There, he took Lavolla by the shoulders and pushed her behind it, after which he positioned himself closely in front of her with his back to her face. The unexpected closeness left Lavolla speechless and for a second, she forgot the reason why they were there together and why they needed to hide in the shadows of the stone creature.

_Oh, honestly! Would you get a grip! _She told herself firmly.

Hurried footsteps soon brought her back to reality.

The determined and confident Quirrell Lavolla had seen a couple of times before, the Quirrell that entered the Forbidden Forest alone at night and aided Voldemort, passed the gargoyle in large strides. He didn't look at all like a man who mere moments ago had been so afraid that he had fainted. Looking over his shoulder once, he walked up to a reasonably small wooden door at the end of the dark corridor.

Lavolla tried to keep her breathing as shallow as possible. She watched Quirrell pull out his wand and aiming it at the keyhole of the door. He mumbled something and there was a clicking sound, after which Quirrell disappeared into the space that lay behind the threshold.

'Wait here.' Snape whispered almost too softly to be heard.

When Quirrell closed the door behind him, Snape ran for it and also vanished from Lavolla's sight. Panic rose inside of her. Horror-scenarios of Quirrell harming Snape instantly loomed up in her mind and she could feel her legs trembling with fear.

There was the sound of uproar coming from the other side of the door and Lavolla threw Snape's order to stay put, overboard.

Throwing her body against the door, she discovered Snape had apparently locked it behind him. Probably to keep her out, but Lavolla ignored this, too. Because of the strong emotions running through her body, she was able to unlock the door effortlessly, using word- and wandless magic.

Immediately after entering the dark room, Lavolla knew she should have stayed outside. Snape was holding a hand on Quirrell's throat and used it to press him against a wall. Quirrell was without his wand, but Snape held his in his free hand. He pointed his wand behind him and out of it flowed a white light that covered Snape's back like a round shield.

Both Snape and Quirrell looked at Lavolla, their eyes wide. Then everything happened in a blur. The white light produced by Snape's wand evaporated and he released Quirrell. Lavolla watched him leaping towards her before something gigantic threw her against the wall.

Her head and right shoulder were the first parts of her body to hit the cold hard stones. She heard a crash and a wave of pain washed over her. Sinking onto the floor, the last thing Lavolla saw was a huge furry claw lash out at Snape's leg and then there was nothing but darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Severus had carried an unconscious Lavolla Meren back onto the corridor. Quirrell had followed him, of course, and had picked up his act of nervous, stuttering fool again. Outside, Filch and his cat had awaited them. Filch holding up a burning lantern and Mrs. Norris alertly sitting on the gargoyle's head.

Gently laying the woman in his arms on the floor, Severus spotted the sickening angle of her shoulder and the blood on her head. A cold rush went through him.

'_Rennervate_.' He said clearly, his wand aimed at Lavolla's heart. Little by little, her eyes started squinting and blinking until they opened. She was still immensely dazed and didn't seem to be aware of anything, including her dislocated shoulder. Her usually alert eyes were empty, but at least she was awake.

'You're bleeding, professor.' Filch stated then, pointing at Severus' leg.

Only now Severus felt the soaring pain that was spreading from his shin to his calf.

'It's nothing.' He lied. 'However, Miss Meren needs to be taken to the hospital wing.'

'As do you.' Filch objected.

'No!' Severus ordered in a low voice. It would raise too much suspicion if they were both hospitalized at the same time - Madame Pomfrey would see through it straight away.

'Me and our adventurous professor over here will join the other teachers to remove the troll. Tell Madam Pomfrey that Miss Meren got unwell and fell down the stairs.'

The mentioning of her name faintly pulled Lavolla out of her trance-like state and Severus helped her up. She looked very unsteady and her good arm sought for support, clutching at Severus. He grabbed it and held her up by her waist.

'But she didn't fall down the stairs, she – ' Filch started.

'Not another word!'

The gaunt looking janitor looked from Severus to Lavolla and from Lavolla to Quirrell, who stood silently, as if lost in thought.

'Alright, alright.' He sighed then, as if he really had a choice.

'Do you think you'll be able to walk?' Severus asked Lavolla, who nodded in response.

'She has legs, doesn't she?' Roughly, Filch grabbed Lavolla's good arm and rapidly led her towards the staircase.

'Filch!'Severus snapped after him. 'The woman may have a concussion – don't shake up her even further!'

Filch rolled his eyes, but continued with a bit more care.

Severus and Quirrell soon ran into Minerva McGonagall and followed the Transfiguration teacher to the source of loud, disturbing noises. The sounds were coming from a girls' lavatory where the three professors stumbled upon a bizarre scene: three small first years were standing around the enormous and hideous, but motionless body of a troll that was spread out across the bathroom floor. One of the students in question was Potter (of course: the boy was so much like his father in behavior, it was disgusting). He almost immediately noticed Severus' injury. The other two were Granger and Potter's friend Weasley. To make the situation even more absurd, McGonagall actually awarded points to the two boys after taking them from Granger. But for once, Severus did not care whether Gryffindor would overtake Slytherin or not: his thoughts were occupied with more important affairs. The case of Quirrell for example, who had obviously been responsible for the now knocked-out troll. His actions of tonight had proved to Severus that he was in fact after the Philosopher's Stone and not to be trusted. The majority of Severus' mind however, was concerned with Lavolla Meren. The worried expression on her face as she had stormed in on Severus interrogating Quirrell, her weight in his arms as he had carried her to safety and the disturbing injury to her head. Severus would have preferred to stay with her, but that would have been much to convenient for Quirrell. No, he needed to make sure that the sneaky piece of vermin was under the alert eye of another member of the staff. Just until the troll would no longer form a diversion, of course, so as soon as the Gryffindors were sent to bed and he had covered up his bloody leg, Severus hurried to the hospital wing. As fast as he could while limping.

There, he found Miss Meren back to her full consciousness and sitting on one of the beds. Her shoulder seemed mended and her chestnut hair was no longer covered in glistening red liquid. Madame Pomfrey held out a small goblet to her. She took it and downed its contents in three gulps. Smiling thankfully at the nurse, she noticed Severus. Apprehension almost oozed out of her.

Severus and Pomfrey quickly greeted each other before the latter left the wing.

'I see Poppy has managed to fix –' Severus began a little stiffly, but was interrupted by Lavolla.

'I'm so sorry!' She cried out promptly, looking down to the ground in embarrassment.

Severus blinked. 'What for?'

Lavolla's eyes shot up at him, bewildered.

'For… for ignoring your instructions like that, for messing up your plan. For that.' She added softly, pointing at his injured leg.

Severus was baffled. The woman was right – this should have aggravated him immensely. What in Merlin's name was she doing to him? At the very least he could have given her a sneer.

'It was unbelievably stupid.' Was all he could bring out however. And it didn't even sound irritated.

'I know.' Lavolla breathed guiltily. 'I thought you were hurt.'

'I am now.' Severus replied dryly.

'Sorry.' Lavolla whispered.

_Do it! Say something mean, something really vicious!_ He thought to himself, but neither the words nor the right emotions came to him. The siren had won – he'd let her song get to him. An overwhelming sensation of defeat engulfed Severus and he felt disgustingly vulnerable.

'Are you doing it right now?' He asked bitterly.

There was a long silence in which Lavolla shook her head and frowned.

'Doing what?' She asked.

'SINGING THAT BLOODY SONG OF YOURS, YOU EVIL SERPENT!' Finally: anger.

Lavolla flinched, but whether it was because of the volume of his voice, or because of the accusation itself, Severus knew not.

'What?' She exclaimed, but then a calm expression of realization spread across her face.

'You think I'm trying to lure you with a Call?'

Something happened to Severus that almost never did: he was at a loss for words. If he told Lavolla that he knew for a fact she was trying to enchant him, she would know that it had worked, but there was no way he could deny his attraction to her now - he had said too much for that already. Fortunately, he did not have to give her an answer yet, for Lavolla broke the silence first.

'Because I can't do… _that_.'

Severus nearly staggered backwards. 'You what?'

'I don't have a Call.' Lavolla explained uneasily. She dug her fingers into the white fabric that covered the bed she sat on. 'You know, being a half-blood and everything…'

_She's lying!_ A voice screamed inside Severus' head, but it was almost instantaneously stifled by the truth. Of course Lavolla Meren had not Called to him. Sirens rarely aimed their Songs at one particular individual, which would mean that every man in Lavolla's presence should be affected by her power. Severus had often studied the other male professors and students during the times Lavolla had sat at the Head Table and, apart from the occasional curious glares, she was treated just like any other witch. Quirrell was the only wizard he had ever seen acting out of character whilst in Lavolla's company.

As this sunk in, Severus felt oddly peaceful and he didn't like this one bit.

'Why should I trust you – after all, isn't this what your kind is bred for: tricking and deceiving?' His last will to fight shot at Lavolla.

Lavolla slid off of the bed and tentatively closed the distance between her and Severus.

'Severus,' She said as she stopped at about an arm's length away from him and Severus felt the hairs in the back of his neck rise at the gentle, soothing sound of Lavolla's voice uttering his name.

'You have stormed out on me… what is it? Three times now? You have practically slammed a door in my face.' She grinned up at him. 'I assure you – that would be close to impossible to do when being Sung to.'

Severus knew she was telling the truth, but he also knew that he had to get away from her as quickly as possible, for the desire to pull Lavolla even closer was becoming unbearable. He was able to see every tiny feature of her face – the almond like shape of her eyes and the way the grey shade of blue of their irises faded into green and gold at the center, and how the striking long, black lashes of her right eye partly concealed a small and faint, oval-shaped scar. How full her lips were, even though her mouth itself was quite small. The way the bridge of her nose arched, and the shape of her dark eyebrows. How the corners of her mouth naturally pulled down a bit, which, in combination with her mystifying eyes, gave Lavolla her stern look. Stern and proud, but behind that mysterious wall of coldness Severus saw a woman with great compassion, tenderness and warmth.

He was not attracted to Lavolla's Song; he was attracted to _her_.

This insight was more like a confession to himself than a sudden realization. It was as if he had been trying to block a gigantic wave and had now finally lost the battle and he was drowning in his own feelings. Feelings of doubt, harmony, revulsion, fright and lust, all swallowing him up at once.

'Are you still here?' An interfering voice abruptly broke off the wordless conversation held between Severus and Lavolla's eyes. Madame Pomfrey had returned, holding an ominous red flask in her one hand and a spoon in the other, she raised her eyebrows at Severus.

'Miss Meren needs to rest. I may be able to cure a lot of things, but sleep is still the best healer.' She said, putting down the flask and spoon on the nightstand next to Lavolla's bed. 'You may speak with her tomorrow, after I've released her.'

Severus hardly heard the woman, but he put all his energy (which wasn't much after tonight) in acting normal.

'We were just finished.' He managed to say quite indifferently and this success gave him the strength to turn his back on Lavolla. He turned around and, as he walked towards the exit, Severus forced himself to think potions, magical stones, papers… everything but Lavolla Meren.

A week had passed since that eventful Halloween. After hours and hours of sleep, Madam Pomfrey had released Lavolla. Her arm and shoulder were no longer bothering her and with a horrible potion that tasted something like sour apples and mustard, all the damage from the blow to her head had been diminished. Lavolla'd been very lucky. Nevertheless, she did not feel all that well.

Lavolla hadn't seen Severus after their short, but strange dialogue in the hospital wing and it was slowly driving her mad. She found it very difficult to read him. Every time she tried to analyze his behavior, she ended up being even more confused and with a terrible headache on top of it. He was the most complex soul Lavolla had ever come across and he was all she could think about. It was as if she was constantly nervous; an almost sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach and both body and mind were restless.

When Dumbledore had visited her in the hospital wing, Lavolla had been dying to ask about Severus, but it had seemed like the wrong time. Their conversation had been limited to Quirrell's actions and the colossal creature that had smacked Lavolla against the wall. Apparently, it was a three headed dog called 'Fluffy' (Hagrid was of course behind this) and guarded the only passageway to the Philosopher's Stone.

She had not dared to leave her quarters by day, fearing she would run into Quirrell. She let the house elves bring her food like she had before and used the daytime for resting, reading and writing to Freya, Ravenna and Arnora. Lavolla knew the latter two would never in their immortal lives write a letter unless it was seriously important, but they loved _receiving_ mail.  
Lavolla could tell by the number of letters from Freya that her situation within the clan was not at all pleasant at the moment. She had already written that Yveline had officially overpowered her position and with that also Lavolla's. Now their youngest sister was in a power struggle with Arnora, who was the most tricky siren Lavolla had ever met. Arnora was the smallest of their clan and had an air of innocence about her with her soft long hair, huge brown eyes and fluttering lashes, but when angered she could be extremely brutal and vicious so Lavolla wasn't really concerned about her.

Lavolla had decided to let the spying game rest for a while, as she hadn't been able to find neither Quirrell nor Severus at night. But she doubted Quirrell would try anything stupid for now, being just about caught red-handed. Instead, Lavolla now went out into the freezing November nights for the fresh air and tried to think of answers to the questions that whirled inside her mind, the majority concerning Severus.

She was just about to get her cloak when there was a series of thunderous bangs on her door that made her jump. Immediately, an image of the scary, intimidating Quirrell popped into her head and her heart jumped up her throat.

'Who is it?' Lavolla inquired with all the cool and boldness she could muster.

'Miss Meren, could you please just open the bloody door?' It was Severus. Lavolla's heart jumped up again, but this time in joy and anticipation. He sounded quite worked up and Lavolla hurried to let him in.

Without waiting for an invitation, he stormed in and whirled around in the middle of the room.

'Sit down.' He ordered and Lavolla laughed in amazement.

'You're in my quarters, Severus. You may of course take a seat if you want, but whether I will, too, or not, is not up to you.' But as soon as she saw the torment on Severus' face, her smile faded and she hastily obliged by sitting down on the brown sofa near the fireplace.

Severus seated himself on the matching armchair, but immediately got up again and started pacing. The leg Fluffy had wounded, wasn't moving like it should; it was obviously bothering him. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was looking paler than ever. Lavolla eyed him worriedly.

'Are you alright? Do you need anything?'

Severus stopped in his tracks and faced her.

'Yes.' He breathed angrily. 'I need you… to tell me exactly who you are and what it is that you want from me.'

'What I want from you?' Lavolla repeated uncertainly. She didn't even know what she could want from him. Except _him,_ perhaps.

'For Merlin's sake, don't be difficult, Miss Meren!' Severus looked as if he could rip out his own hair.

'Alright! Just sit down and… we'll talk.' Lavolla said in an attempt to sooth him.

Severus said down, but Lavolla could tell he was still edgy.

That marvelous and terrifying thing happened again in which their eyes connected and this union created an almost electric field around them.

'What do you want to know?' Lavolla asked, unsure of where to begin.

'How are you related to Albus Dumbledore?' Severus answered almost accusingly.

'His younger brother, Aberforth Dumbledore, is my father. Technically speaking, that is – I've only seen him a couple of times in my entire life.' This wasn't Lavolla's favorite topic of conversation and she spoke as if she was reading from a newspaper.

'So how…?' Severus began, but something stopped him from finishing his question.

'How can I be related to sirens _and_ the Dumbledores?'

'Yes.'

'Well, the entire subject of my birth is still rather complicated. There's a lot of mystery concerning the origin of sirens, the real ones I mean. Not one siren remembers where she came from and no one knows for sure how they came into being. It is said that they're the afterlives of women who died from drowning. Others say that sirens grow in underwater caves, like pearls in shells. No one really has a clue, but as far as I and every other member of my clan know, before my mother there has never been anything like a pregnant siren. Anyway, my mother was travelling through Britain and one day she was looking for a place to stay in Hogsmeade. She ended up at the Hog's Head, of which, as you may know, Aberforth is the owner.' Lavolla paused.

'Can I get you a drink?' She asked. Lavolla was a terrible hostess and always forgot things like this, but her own need for something strong reminded her this time.

'Please.' Was Severus' reply.

'Firewhisky, wine, tea?'

'Firewhisky's fine.'

Lavolla got up and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky from a cabinet.

'So my mother – whose name was Runa by the way, was going through a bit of a difficult time back then: she was banned from her clan, you see.' She explained while filling the glasses with the amber coloured liquid.

'She was quite impulsive and from what I've heard she suffered from a serious lack of judgment. At the Hog's Head she noticed Aberforth for whatever inexplicable reason and apparently she thought some male attention would make her feel better.' Lavolla handed Severus a glass and repositioned herself on the sofa. 'She Sang to him. Even though I doubt that would've been necessary: I've been told that she was very enchanting.'

'Nine months later, I was born. By that time, my mother had found herself a new clan of which she soon became the leader. The Breimsvatnet clan in Norway, which is now mine, as well. Did I ever tell you that?' She looked at Severus, who instead of answering, downed his Firewhisky. Lavolla did the same. It burned in her throat, but gave her courage to tell the rest of the story.

'So… being a siren and all, Runa was much too self-centered to be a mother. It was miraculous that she even realized that. She wrote to Aberforth, who she hadn't seen since… well… anyway, he never wrote back, but Albus did when he found out. He invited her to come back to England so that he could help out, I was two years old at the time. But my mother wished to stay in Norway so she sent Ravenna, who is now our leader, but at the time had the lowest rank. You've seen her at the Midnight Meeting, she was the one who got Yveline of your back.' Lavolla grinned involuntarily, but Severus did not –he frowned deeply.

'Your mother simply sent you away?'

'Oh, she visited often enough.' Lavolla said, shrugging to emphasize her indifference. 'Sending me to live with Albus was the best thing she could've ever done for me. And Ravenna helped, too. Sure it's not the ideal family, but I think I could have turned out a lot worse.' She smiled at Severus. 'Runa was not a particularly warm, sympathetic being, but she was nice to me. Not really a mother, though, more like a fun, crazy aunt.'

'You speak of 'was', I take it your mother is no longer living?'

'No, she is not. She died in Azkaban.'

Severus looked at her with surprise. 'What did she do to get there?'

Lavolla bit her bottom lip. Not in sadness, but in regret.

'She made some unbelievably bad choices. I do not know the whole story, all I heard – and wanted to hear, was that Runa couldn't stand the fact that one of her sisters had stolen two of her men and that she snapped. Afterwards, most of us had always known that there was something a bit off with her. She was really aggressive and competitive, even for a siren. She took a lot of lives and they arrested her, I won't bore you with the details.'

'One can arrest a siren?' Severus asked skeptically.

'One can if even the siren's own clan wants you to.'

'I see.'

'So, next question.' Lavolla said bravely and pulled her feet up on the couch.

Severus gave her the kindest look he had ever given her and she felt wonderfully warm inside. She usually hated to talk about herself and her past, but it was different with Severus. Perhaps it was because he didn't show any excessive pity, like most people did and which annoyed Lavolla extremely. She had made peace with the actions of both her mother and father a long time ago and she didn't feel any resentment for not having a normal family. As she had gotten older, Lavolla had realized that normal families were actually pretty rare.

' At the Midnight Meeting, why did your sister call you … What was it?'

Lavolla chuckled humorlessly. '"Ungifted one"? Yes, that's Yveline. You see, sirens all have different specialties besides their Call. Gifts if you will. Like my sister Freya: she can make you feel and see her wishes without speaking and she can also see yours. I don't have anything like that and Yveline finds it hilarious that I can neither Sing nor do anything else extraordinary.'

'What can Yveline do?' Severus asked. Lavolla looked at him for a moment; she had not thought him to be the kind of person to be so curious about others and she could tell that he was not entirely at ease with his own behavior at the moment.

Lavolla felt the bitter smile form on her lips. 'Yveline can see someone's worst and most deep-rooted fear, which she then makes you experience in your mind. It's horrible. I've seen her drive people mad with it. It's a good thing Voldemort is no longer around, because I know for sure that Yveline would've gladly joined him and just imagine the damage she could do with that _talent_ of hers. As far as I'm concerned she's just a Death Eater without a mark on her arm.'

They were both silent for a moment. The mentioning of Voldemort had put a look of anguish on Severus' face.

'Another drink?' Lavolla asked.

'I'm fine. Thank you, Miss Meren.' Severus replied and Lavolla was caught off guard by the sudden gentleness in his deep voice.

'Please.' She objected. 'Could you call me Lavolla? It will make me feel less awkward for using your first name without your permission. Besides, I think we're past formal titles.'

Severus agreed with a nod.

'What do you experience when Yveline uses her… gift, on you?' He asked with abnormal caution.

Embarrassment hit Lavolla like a kick in the stomach.

'I… I feel as if I'm drowning.' She murmured. 'I cannot swim. Which is of course ridiculous. I mean, I'm half-siren for goodness' sake! But I just can't.' She shot a quick glance at Severus to check his reaction. Apart from her uncle, everyone Lavolla had admitted this to, had laughed. However, Severus merely stared back, his expression unaffected. So she dared to continue. 'Water terrifies me and even more so now I know Yveline.'

'Your sisters are not good enough for you.' Severus said with a good amount of ferocity and Lavolla saw that she was not the only one who he'd managed to surprise with these words, for he himself seemed quite astonished.

After the shock had faded, Lavolla smiled at him once more. 'They're sirens. They don't know how to love or care for someone, it's not in their nature. I have to admit that, being part human, it can be very unfulfilling to live with my sisters sometimes. For example, when I was little I _really_ loved Ravenna, almost as if she were my mother, but later I learned that she could never ever answer those feelings. I don't think I still _love_her, but she will always mean more to me than I do to her. The same goes for my other sisters. Except Yveline – ours is a relationship of mutual loathing.' Lavolla played with the glass in her hands. She found the trust she had in Severus quite bizarre and it puzzled her how he managed to get all this information out of her this easily.

'So, any more questions?' Again, she baffled herself by sounding eager.

One corner of Severus' mouth curled up and Lavolla felt herself blush.

'Just one: You do not carry a wand, am I correct?'

'You are.' Lavolla answered, nodding. 'I'm much better without one. Albus took me to buy one at Olivander's when I was eleven, but even he could not find me the right one. My magic is much more like that of a siren: without spells or incantations… or wands. One of the reasons why Albus preferred me to learn from my sisters instead of the Professors here at Hogwarts.'

'Interesting.' Severus said sincerely.

_Says the man of a thousand mysteries_. Lavolla thought. She raised one eyebrow.

'You think?'

'You're fascinating… Lavolla.' He replied, making both of their glasses disappear and getting up from the armchair. Lavolla followed his example, mesmerized by his voice and his words. If one her sisters had seen her like this, they would have slapped her in the face.

Severus walked to the door and again, Lavolla followed.

'I should go now.' Severus said, turning to face Lavolla, who said nothing – she disagreed.

Suddenly, her feet were slowly moving closer to Severus and they didn't stop before she was all but pressing herself against him. She half expected him to push her away, but instead, Severus gently cupped her face in one hand and stroke his thumb across her cheek.

'How's your leg?' She wanted to know.

'It's getting better.' Severus said, all the while holding her captive with his strong gaze and caressing the burning skin of her face.

'Wasn't there something else?' Lavolla said and put her hands on his chest.

Severus looked at her questioningly.

'You wished to know what I want from you.' She clarified, her hands now moving up to his neck. 'I've found the answer.'

'Did you, now?' There was a smirk on Severus' lips.

Lavolla nodded.

'I want everything you're willing to give me.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Lavolla woke up and immediately sat up straight. The pale morning light entered her bedroom through the frosty glass of the window. The sky outside was an ominous shade of grey and the wind was whistling like mad. Yet, Lavolla felt peaceful and warm. The memory of last night, even though it was it a little hazy, filled her with bliss and desire. She and Severus had been so tantalizingly close it had robbed all of her muscles from their strength. The feel of his fingers on her face, his heart beating beneath her hands and his hot breath mingling with hers in the minimum of space between their mouths. With all her heart Lavolla had wanted to kiss him, but the tension had made her unable to move and before she knew it, Severus' lips had stroked across her forehead and he had left her.

She _had_ to see him. But it was Friday and Severus was probably already teaching. Dinner would be the earliest time Lavolla could be with him.

No. Even though it pained her to think she had to wait even longer, Lavolla knew there was no possibility she could sit in such close proximity to Severus and not being able to touch him.

Right after dinner, then. She would go to the dungeons and visit him. In the meantime, she could kill her time by surprising her uncle with a visit.

Albus Dumbledore was just finishing up a letter to the Ministry when Lavolla knocked on his door. She grinned and waved at him after he had permitted her to enter.

'Hello, dear!' He greeted her cheerfully. 'What a pleasant surprise. Have you had lunch yet? I was just heading out to the Great Hall.'

'I have not, no, but I'd rather stay here – I have some questions for you to answer.' Lavolla put on her sweetest face. 'Would that be alright?'

'Of course, love. The house elves are making cinnamon rolls, would you like one?'

'Lovely.' Lavolla answered and let herself fall into her favorite chair.

After their lunch had arrived (cinnamon rolls, but also some pudding and tea), they ate and talked. Mainly about Quirrell, matters within the Ministry and the current situation the Breimsvatnet clan was in. Lavolla's questions, however, were not addressed until the same female house elf who had brought the food, had come back to collect the dishes.

'So,' Dumbledore began. 'I must say I am rather curious – what was it that brought you here exactly? Have you discovered I am hiding something else from you? I thought I had spilled all my secrets by now.'

'_That_ I shall never believe.' Lavolla said between sarcastic chuckles. Then she paused: this was more difficult than she had initially thought it would be. Any other person would be ignorant to Lavolla's intentions, but knowing her uncle, he would most likely see through as if she were glass.

'I… wanted… to ask you…' She started playing with a strand of her hair. 'about Severus.'

'Ah, so It's no longer 'Professor Snape'?' The Headmaster looked at Lavolla with wide, amused eyes.

Defensively, Lavolla's expression changed from an insecure one to one of hostility.

'Don't make this hard on me, Albus!' She snarled. 'There is no reason why I should not return to Norway _tonight_ if you do.'

'Oh, I think there is.' Dumbledore stated lightly and Lavolla was left speechless as she knew perfectly well that he was right.

'All the same, I shall try to answer whatever question with the greatest of nonchalance.' He then said soothingly.

'That would be helpful, yes.'

'What is it about Severus that you want to know? And why are you not asking him?'

'Because! I need to know if I can trust him and it seemed best to come to you with these issues.' Lavolla explained.

'Have you heard anything that made you suspicious of him?'

'No, not at all. And I really do trust him, but it's just that… I've been terribly wrong before.'

Dumbledore eyed his cousin with softness.

'Your instincts have not failed you this time, dear: I would trust Severus Snape with my life and yours on top of it.' He said.

Relief spread through Lavolla and she smiled.

'However…' Albus shot a quick look at Lavolla and there was so much doubt on his face that it scared her. After seconds that felt like hours, he finally continued, but still he sounded uncertain. 'There are some things in Severus' past that are not all pleasant…' Another pause filled the room with hesitation and tension. 'Severus once served the Dark Lord.'

Lavolla laughed, but instantly stopped when she saw that Dumbledore kept a straight face.

'What?' She breathed, flabbergasted and suddenly not feeling well. 'Severus is a Death Eater?'

'_Was_… but yes.' Dumbledore said with regret in his voice. He folded his hands and laid them on his desk in front of him.

He told Lavolla about how James Potter and Sirius Black mistreated Severus and how he had loved Lily Evans, who later married Potter. How Severus had chosen the side of the Dark Lord initially to impress Lily and how he had turned to Dumbledore when Voldemort was planning on murdering the Potters and how Severus had switched sides.

When he finished, Lavolla had no clue as to how to feel. A part of her felt scared, angry and very much betrayed, but she could not help feel sorry for Severus as well.

'What must I do now?' She asked and she was genuinely curious of the answer.

Her uncle raised his eyebrows.

'What do you mean? These things are all in the past.' He said simply. 'The Severus you know is the Severus that exists today.'

'It is not that simple, Albus.' Lavolla protested.

'Isn't it?'

'He's a… a _Death Eater_, for crying out loud!' She noticed it was almost physically painful to call Severus that.

'_Was_, dear, was.' Dumbledore said and there was a strange undertone to these words, almost as if he was losing his patience with his cousin.

'Don't think for a moment Severus was ever truly evil at heart. All he ever really did was make a couple of seriously bad decisions and socialize with the wrong people.'

'Joining ranks with Voldemort is more than a seriously bad decision!' Lavolla exclaimed and again, something sharp shot through her chest at the mentioning of the link between Severus and Voldemort.

'It truly is not, not in this case anyway.' Dumbledore shook his bearded head slowly. 'Compare it to the actions of your mother that got her locked up in Azkaban – you call those bad choices, nothing more. What Severus did throughout his entire career as the Dark Lord's servant does not even come close to what Runa did that one day.'

'I don't –' Lavolla began indignantly.

'No, Lavolla.' Dumbledore interrupted firmly. You of all people should know that a person can be good at heart even though they once acted wrongly. Imagine what Severus has had to endure, it's a lot worse for him: he has feelings and emotions your mother had not.'

This comparison calmed Lavolla somewhat, but she was still shaking as if she was running a fever. Involuntarily, she wondered whether Severus had ever killed anyone, but her mind simply refused to form such an image.

'Lavolla, stop.' Dumbledore commanded, knowing exactly what horror scenarios were on his cousin's baffled mind. 'I promise you: you can trust Severus as much as you can trust me. Possibly even more.'

Lavolla's head began to spin. Of course she trusted Albus, but he could not make her put the same trust in someone else, whoever it was, ex-Death Eater or not. Her heart had faith in Severus' goodness, but Lavolla needed to see him before her mind, too, could be made up.

Severus could not enjoy his dinner. For one, the Headmaster kept smiling at him in a most annoying content manner as if he knew something Severus did not. But also, because he couldn't think about anything except Lavolla, which was nothing different from any other day, but today was particularly bad. Last night he had smelled her hair, tasted her breath and felt her skin under his lips. This all had done nothing but increase his hunger for her. At the same time, she had made him cringe the way she had spoken about Voldemort and Death Eaters. Severus felt a numbing cold at the thought of Lavolla thinking ill of him.

Because of his absent-mindedness, Severus only realized that Quirrell was not at the Head Table, nor anywhere else in sight, when all plates made way for dessert. Once he did, he jumped up and left hastily.

First, he checked the Third Floor and when he didn't find Quirrell there, Severus ordered Filch to keep watch there. He then went to Quirrell's office and quarters, but he was nowhere to be found. There was no doubt in Severus' mind that Quirrell had gone to the Forbidden Forest again, looking for unicorns to drain. So Severus hurried outside without even taking the time to fetch a cloak, which he immediately regretted as he stepped out into the stormy night.

Rain had made puddles everywhere and was still coming down from the pitch-black sky with a ferocity that made it seem doubtful as to whether it would ever stop. The wind was blowing so hard it deafened Severus and the forest looked more ominous than ever. Of course, this did not stop Severus from storming into it.

The trees gave some shelter from the rain and blocked most wind gusts, but it was still freezing and the fact that Severus' robes were soaked did not help.

_Now what?_ Severus thought to himself. How on earth was he going to find Quirrell in this maze of trees? But just as he pondered the thought of returning to the castle where it was dry and warm, he spotted a cloaked and hooded figure lurking behind a broad pine. Quirrell.

He jumped and whirled around when Severus was only a few feet away from him. Severus was just about to ram him against the tree when two feminine hands shot out from under the cloak. One hand was held out as to stop Severus in his tracks, while the other pushed back the figure's hood and revealed not Quirrell, but Lavolla Meren's surprised face.

'Severus.' She said with relief. He took two steps closer to her so that the arm that was still stretched out in front of her, had to bend. She looked at him with a strange expression and something happened behind her eyes, as if she was making up her mind about something.

For a while, Severus felt the urge to yell at her for entering the Forbidden Forest without him, but then Lavolla's fingertips were on his jaw line and her other hand grabbed his collar. Her eyes were just about begging him to touch her back and once again, Severus was lost in their beauty. They blinked as raindrops fell on their lashes.

Lavolla's wet lips were trembling and even though her arms had snaked around his neck and waist by now, and they had pulled Severus tightly against her, he understood she was waiting for him to continue. As if she wanted for him to confirm his liking of her.

As the water ran down both of their faces, Severus took Lavolla's head in both of his hands and pressed his lips against hers. It was a short but tender and deep kiss that sparked their need for one another and after they broke apart for a second or two, they indulged in another. This one more intense and filled with passion.

Instead of satisfying him, it was as though every touch awakened an even larger need for the woman he held, whose hands were in his hair and whose mouth he was dominating with his own.

Much too soon, Lavolla pulled away and for a brief moment, Severus feared she had changed her mind. However, her smile and the longing in the look she gave him, made it perfectly clear that she craved Severus as much as he did her. He couldn't help but kiss her again.

Again it was Lavolla who ended the kiss. She leaned her head against the tree behind her and looked up at Severus.

'I need to breathe.' She panted with a grin on her face whilst stroking Severus' face affectionately. 'Aren't you cold?'

'No.' Severus replied truthfully. He had become completely oblivious to everything the storm of tonight had brought with it. The numbness in his toes, his drenched clothes sticking to his skin – none of it mattered.

'Shouldn't we return to Hogwarts?'

Severus was reluctant to this suggestion at first: he wouldn't mind standing this way – so close to Lavolla and feeling her affection – until the dawn and possibly even longer. But perhaps this was a good plan after all, because even though she looked happy and content, Lavolla's lips had turned a strange shade of purple and she was shivering in his arms.

The idea of the castle's warmth made Severus remember why they were standing in a dark, wet forest in the first place.

'What about Quirrell?' He asked Lavolla as she started kissing his neck.

'I don't care.'

'You'll regret that in the morning.' Severus murmured, nuzzling the top of her head.

Lavolla graced her lips across his neck until they met Severus' mouth and kissed it.

'I highly doubt that.' She said, taking Severus' hands and leading him out of the forest.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Severus took Lavolla to his quarters down in the dungeons. She felt light as a feather and incredibly relaxed despite the butterflies in her stomach. There was something unreal about everything, as if she was dreaming. The only thing she fully experienced was the feeling of Severus' hand that was firmly holding her own and pulling her with him. Then there was the sound of a door shutting and Lavolla was captured by two strong arms that slithered around her body and pressed her against that very door. She found Severus' deep eyes gazing back at her and she shivered with pleasure.

'Are you alright?' He asked, holding still as he felt her shuddering against him.

What a question! Lavolla couldn't remember the last time she had felt so fantastic. She felt loved and warm and safe. She smiled and pressed her lips against his.

Severus answered her kiss instantly and with so much passion and fervor that it made her head spin.  
He still smelled like the rain and the forest, but Lavolla could also perceive a hint of his own musty, male scent she had smelled before, that night in her own quarters. She nestled her face against his neck to inhale it better as her hands got lost in his wet hair.

Completely oblivious to the fact that Severus had already managed to get her out of her soaked cloak and unbutton the robes underneath, Lavolla gasped as his hands were suddenly on her bare shoulders. She helped him to get rid of the rest of her robes and the thin top underneath so that his hands could roam freely over nearly every bit of skin, leaving a trail of warmth and a tingly sensation everywhere they caressed her.

Lavolla unclasped Severus´ cloak and it fell to the floor behind his feet. It was heavy from the water the thick fabric was holding. As Severus pushed down a bra strap, Lavolla began unbuttoning his frockcoat, which proved to be quite a task and Lavolla´s impatience soon got the best of her. Frustrated, she started tucking the fabric with all her might, sending a few buttons to the ground in the process. However, before she could completely ruin the coat, Severus took her hands in his and softly hissed through his teeth, shushing her as he took over the buttons from her. He pretended to be the epitome of calm and slightly annoyed by her damaging his clothes, but the glint in his eyes betrayed the amusement he got from her impatience. She grinned and teasingly nipped at his bottom lip.

When Severus had taken of his frockcoat and was in the middle of removing his blouse, he suddenly stopped and took a step back from Lavolla. She looked up at him in puzzlement. _He cannot be serious!_ She thought. He couldn´t have changed his mind, he just couldn´t have. It was as if her heart stopped beating and a wave of bitter cold washed trough her body.

´Is anything wrong?' She asked, her voice sounding off from the sudden rush of panic.

Lavolla could see him thinking, mulling things over behind those deep eyes that were no longer filled with tenderness and lust, but with doubt and fear.

'I think…' Severus started. His voice was confident and did not mirror the torn expression on his face whatsoever. 'This may have been a mistake.'

Lavolla's heart dropped and she felt so utterly disappointed and hopeless that she wanted to sink down onto the floor and cry. Of course, that was something she would never be caught doing, least of all by Severus. Instead, she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

'Why?!' She nearly spat. The last thing she wanted to do now was be angry with him or unnerve him by doing so, but she felt embarrassed by the unexpected rejection and it was as if the defensiveness came out all on its own.

'It's for your own good.' Severus answered, almost coolly. He was still halfway taking of his white blouse and held it up on the left side of his body with both hands.

'My own good? I don't think so, Severus.' Lavolla answered, trying her hardest to sound friendly and comforting, but only succeeding partially.  
'Severus, please.'

The mention of his name and her pleading tone seemed to pull him back to her. The tension in his upper body lessened and he leaned a little closer to Lavolla again. Encouraged by his caving in, Lavolla closed the remaining distance between them and pressed her almost naked torso against his bare chest and ran her hands up his sides all the way up to his neck. Severus breathed out a long breath in her ear and leaned his forehead on her shoulder in defeat. Lavolla smiled blissfully as his arms wrapped around her again. She kissed his chest slowly and repeatedly.

Lavolla's hands made their way over his shoulders and down his arms, hooking her fingers in the blouse and pulling it down. Quicker than a whip, Severus grabbed the hand that was tucking down his piece of clothing and held it up. Lavolla squealed in shock. Immediately his grip on her softened, but he did not let go.

'Don't.' Severus said in a voice that sounded both commanding and pleading.

Lavolla frowned in confusion.

'What do you –' But then she got it. His left arm. The arm where the Dark Mark was branded on his skin. She shuddered at the remembrance. However, the chill she felt at the idea of all the horrors attached to that mark, disappeared when she looked Severus in the eye. She was moved by the fact that he had wanted to hide it from her. This proud, independent, introverted, reserved and great man was afraid of her judgment.

Lavolla wriggled her wrist free of his grip and used both of her hands to cup Severus' face. Then she kissed him with all the passion she had inside of her. He did not kiss her back.

'Lavolla.' He muttered against her lips when she broke the kiss. 'You must leave.'

That frightened her more than a dozen of Dark Marks could.

'It's alright. I already know.' She said softly, holding her breath in anticipation of his response to this news.

Severus pulled away from her again. This time with even more haste and creating a larger distance. In his bewilderment he nearly tripped over his cloak that was still lay behind him on the floor.

'How?!' He sneered, gazing at Lavolla with wild eyes that were partly concealed by strands of his black hair.

Lavolla closed her eyes and sighed. She could have known he would react like this. Now he felt exposed and betrayed.

She raised an eyebrow.

'How do you think?'

Severus didn't need any time to think about it. He cursed through gritted teeth and turned his back on Lavolla whilst putting his blouse back on.

Not agreeing with the adding of garments at all, Lavolla hurried to his side, but he stopped her when she was about to reach out to him.

'How long have you known?' He asked with his arm stretched out to keep her at a distance.

'Not long at all.' Lavolla replied apologetically. 'Tonight was the first time I saw you since I've known.'

'And what was your initial reaction?' He sounded cold and bitter.

Lavolla looked at him for several seconds before she was able to answer.

'I was shocked and scared and angry.' She admitted then.

'Good.' Severus turned to face Lavolla again and the expression on his face made her stagger back.

'At least _that_ is a natural response! But obviously you are unable to think straight at this moment, Miss Meren, or you would not have been behaving the way that you have tonight!' He shouted.

'You know my name, Severus.' Was all Lavolla could mutter. Every loud word Severus directed at her was like a slap in the face. 'Just now.. in the forest... I realized that I don't care about what you've got on your arm. It doesn't change who you are!'

'Well, there has got to be something seriously wrong with you!' Severus' eyes were blacker than ever and his face was distorted with rage.

'Why?! Because I trust you?!' Lavolla's eyes widened incredulously. 'Because I want to be with you there's something wrong with me?'

That silenced Severus for almost three whole seconds.

'Yes.' He spat then. 'No one in their right mind would seek this kind of…_ contact_ with a Death Eater, or - '

'Stop it!' Lavolla yelled. Her eyes were starting to get watery and her head was getting fuzzy.

'_You_ are _not_ a Death Eater, Severus! So stop this! Albus told me everything.'

'I'll bet he has!' Severus hissed in her face, but Lavolla did not lean away. 'I wouldn't even be surprised if he got you here to keep an eye on me, to keep me on the straight path. Letting me believe we're both assigned to spy on Quirrell, while actually you're first and foremost spying on me. That's very clever.'

Lavolla let out a cry of insult. At the same time she felt sorry for Severus; having to always question everyone's trust in you and always suspect the worst, must be exhausting.

'Severus, you don't actually believe that, do you? That is such a load of nonsense!'

Severus straightened his back, making him tower over Lavolla, who still did not move an inch and met his fuming gaze without blinking. In a flash she thought of the happiness she had felt only moments earlier. She wondered whether she should've kept silent about her knowledge about him, wheter she should've waited for him to tell her about the Dark Mark. Probably.

'Perhaps not.' He said emotionlessly after what seemed like an hour of scrutinizing Lavolla's face. 'But then explain why you are here! Why can you not stay away from me like anyone sensible – anyone with a sane mind would do?!'

'Because I DON'T see evil in your eyes! I don't see it and I don't feel it!' Lavolla yelled, suddenly distraught by Severus' self-loathing. A tear ran down her cheek and she hastily wiped it away.

'You are good, Severus.' She whispered and took a step closer to him.

'How can you be so sure of that?' He asked softly. Lavolla realized that deep down, he was hoping for her to give him an answer that would finally confirm this. But she could not give him such an all explaining answer. She bit her bottom lip in regret and for the first time, Lavolla looked away from the face she wanted to kiss so badly.

'I just know.' She said, looking up at Severus again and hating that she did not have the power to help him with his inner struggle. 'I simply don't feel danger – you make me feel save.'

Most of the anger subsided from Severus' face, but he was obviously not entirely satisfied with that answer. Then he began taking of his blouse again and stopped at the exact same point as before: with only his left underarm still covered. With that arm, he reached out to Lavolla, the blouse piece of clothing dangling from it.

Lavolla understood that he was giving her another chance to rethink the situation, to leave before it would be too late. But she did not want nor need that chance. Locking eyes with Severus in that way that shot shivers down her spine and made her forgot everything around her. Lavolla took hold of the fabric at Severus' elbow and shoved it off of him. The blouse made a rustling sound when it fell to the ground. Lavolla looked down to Severus' arm and swallowed. She had wished that seeing the mark would not have any effect on her, but it scared her more than she had initially thought. However, she did all she could to not let it show, because it wasn't the mark itself that was frightening to her.

With one hand, Lavolla took Severus's left one and gently squeezed it. With the other, she gingerly touched the mark. Then she looked at him again. There were a thousand expressions on his face and he was breathing heavily.

'Well?' Severus said with a voice that was too composed to be believable.

Lavolla brought his hand to her mouth and kissed it. 'It is a pity to see this. But it doesn't change how I feel about you.'

Severus shook his head.

'You are very strange.' He said, but the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.

Lavolla smiled.

He cupped her face in his free hand and stroke her lips with his thumb.

'They're still blue.' He said. 'You need to take a hot shower before you get sick.'

'Will you come with me?' Lavolla asked, nestling her cheek against his palm.

'As you wish.' Severus breathed before he kissed her and carried to his bathroom.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Lavolla lay awake in the middle of night. It was almost pitch black in Severus´ bedroom and the only sound she heard was that of his slow, steady breathing. He was fast asleep. Lavolla could only vaguely make out Severus´ shape. He was lying on his side, facing her. One of his hands rested on her bare stomach while the other was tucked away under his own head, his arm folded. The arm that had Severus´ wrong choices drawn on it in black. Lavolla wasn´t looking at the sinister mark and even if she was, it probably wouldn´t look like anything more than a large stain in the dark of the night, but she felt it practically staring at her. Her own breathing was so shallow, it wasn´t even audible. Not because she was so relaxed – on the contrary: her head was filled with thoughts that were spinning around in an uncontrollable whirlwind and slowly driving her toward a panic attack. Gazing up at the ceiling, but not being able to really see anything, Lavolla was doing her best to think her current situation through. She knew herself to be impulsive when it came to the very few men she ever really lost her heart to, but last night had been a record and now she was thinking of all the things that could go wrong when the sun would come up and Severus would wake up.  
The dark mark on Severus' arm had terrified Lavolla at the first sight, but she had tried her hardest not to let Severus notice this. Even though the fact that it was Severus, a man in whom she had seen something great from the moment she'd met him, who was marked with the awful sign had scared her much more than the sign itself, it was still quite horrifying to see it flash in sight every time Severus lifted his arms to her face to hold and kiss her, and when he had reached down to remove several strands of Lavolla's hair from her face after he had thrown her on his bed. She had been able to feel the exact spot on Severus' skin where the mark was when he had wrapped his arms around her when they were standing in the streams of hot water pouring from the shower. She was so aware of its dark presence and yet, Lavolla had not felt anything but happiness and lust every time she had looked into Severus´ black eyes or when their mouths had met in hungry kisses. Realizing that if even a Dark Mark couldn´t keep her away from Severus, her feelings for him might have been much stronger than she had initially thought and it made the uncertainties about the morning all the more nerve wracking. Lavolla knew she wouldn´t be able to bare it if at daybreak it turned out that Severus didn´t want anything more than just this one night from her, or worse even: that he regretted it. That he regretted every single kiss, every little moment they had shared.  
Lavolla squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. This was one of those crucial and huge differences between her and her siren sisters: when any siren spent the night with a man, they simply left them the next morning (or sometimes right away) and never spent a second thinking about them ever again. Lavolla on the other hand rarely trusted men enough to let them come close, but when she did, she knew it was special and that always made her scared to death of handling it the wrong way. And it had never been as bad as it was now, because she had never felt as good about someone as she did about Severus. Lavolla felt herself glowing when he touched her and it gave her chills if he gave her one of his rare smiles. The way he had put his trust in her had astounded and flattered her immensely. She realized that it must have been as hard for him as it was for her. Possibly even harder, as she didn't have a dark past to reveal.  
And as that sank in, the disaster scenarios in Lavolla´s head slowly dissolved and made place for flashes of her and Severus. It had been wonderful – it was as if their bodies were made for each other. They had blended together in their passion and every move had been so fluent. Every touch from Severus had sent Lavolla deeper into some kind of frenzy and when he had muttered her name against her lips, it had been nearly enough to drive her crazy.  
She took the hand that still rested on her stomach and gently held it in her own. Two minutes later, she fell asleep.

* * *

Severus woke that morning to find the fingers of his right hand intertwined with five slender female fingers. It took him a second to register this strange and unusual, but all the while very pleasant situation he was in. The corners of his mouth twitched into the tiniest of smiles as he thought back to last night. It had stunned and angered him to find out that Lavolla was already aware of his history. He would have preferred to tell her himself. But the fact that she had been able to look past the mark of hatred on his arm had truly astounded Severus. It was almost too good to be true, too hard to believe that Lavolla was genuinely that trusting of him and that she really seemed to like him as much as he liked her. There had been a brief moment when he had thought that maybe this was one of Dumbledore's ways to keep an eye on him just like Severus and Lavolla were keeping track of Quirrel, but deep down Severus knew that the Headmaster could never be able of something like that. And besides, he also knew that Dumbledore already trusted him, just like Severus trusted the old Professor. And after tonight, he trusted Lavolla as well. It was hard not to when someone opened up to you like she had to him.  
When he firmed his grip on her hand, Lavolla stirred and squeezed back. She was lying on her side with her legs pulled up, her hair spread out on the pillow. As her eyes started to flutter open, a jab of fear suddenly shot through Severus. For a flash of a second he tortured himself by imagining Lavolla opening her eyes and wanting to leave as soon as she realized where she was and with whom she was sharing a bed. But when her black lashes parted and revealed the pools of gray of her irises, Lavolla looked at him and she smiled.

'Good morning.' She said softly.

´Yes, it is.´ Severus answered as he removed a strand of her wavy hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, which earned him an even wider smile.

'It was a good night, too.' Lavolla mischievously raised an eyebrow.

Severus pulled her closer, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her in for a kiss, showing her that he agreed. Softly, Lavolla moaned into his mouth and dug her fingers into his shoulder blades. When Severus pulled away to take a breath, she nestled herself against him, her head tucked under his chin. Lavolla´s hair still smelled heavily like the shampoo she had used to wash her hair with last night – with help from Severus, but her own scent was clinging to her skin. She smelled like a forest, rough and yet sweet.

'Do you need to be somewhere today?' She asked, her words muffled by Severus' own skin.

'Actually, we both do.'

Lavolla moved so that they were face to face again. There was a puzzled expression on her face.

'There is still the matter of Quirrell to be dealt with, remember?' Severus explained. He sounded more stern than he had intended. He went on in a more gentle voice. ´Do you regret that we didn´t pursue him further last night, when we had the chance?'

Lavolla's eyes started to sparkle and she bit her bottom lip in feigned hesitation. 'Hm, perhaps it was a little selfish of me to occupy you and maybe I should have acted wiser… but I don't regret it whatsoever.' For a short moment there appeared another smile on her face, but it was gone again before Severus could smile back. 'Why, do you?'

He blinked several times before he answered. There was a bitter voice in his head warning him not to get too close to her this soon, to not get attached or open himself up too much. But he didn't want to listen to that voice right now, because that voice had done nothing but keep him and Lavolla apart.

'I could never regret this.' He finally said and relief spread across Lavolla's face, which made him distrust the bitter voice even more. 'But we still have to deal with Quirrell. Today.'

Lavolla pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully. 'Must we talk to Albus about it?'

'I was thinking about that, yes.'

'It's about time he got rid of that creep.'

'I'm afraid we have to put up with him a little while longer.' Severus growled. 'Your uncle doesn't want to fire Quirrell until we actually catch him red-handed.'

'Well… how far is he willing to let this go?' There was a frown on Lavolla's forehead which Severus whipped away with his thumb.

'At least here we can keep an eye on him, it would be very unwise to lose track of Quirrell.'

Lavolla licked her lips, thinking.

'Well, that's true.' She said, nodding slowly. Then she sat up straight. The black sheet that had been wrapped around her, slipped off of her a little and Severus felt a pull in his groin.

'But I still don't feel comfortable having him here.' She went on. 'I mean, what if he ends up hurting one of the students, surely Albus would never be able to forgive himself for that… Nor would I for that matter.'

Severus sat up, too, and ran a hand over Lavolla's long hair. 'Do not worry too much: Quirrell will not want to do anything that will destroy his cover before he's got his filthy hands tightly wrapped around the Stone. '

'What about that Quidditch incident with Potter? I thought you said Quirrell was behind that jinx?' Severus had told Lavolla about what had happened during the first Quidditch match of the year. Harry Potter had nearly fallen off of his broom because of a jinx that Quirrell was attempting to cast on the young seeker's Nimbus 2000. Severus had tried his best to stop him, but a minor disturbance caused by a spontaneous fire had broken Quirrell's spell in the end.

'I had a little chat with him about that.' Severus said gloomily. 'He won't do anything like that anytime soon. We´ll speak to Dumbledore about what to do next – now that Quirrell seems to visit the Forbidden Forest more and more often, and if necessary I will pay him another little visit.'

Lavolla whirled around to look at Severus. Her eyes were a little wide.

'You _what_?' She asked incredulously.

Severus merely raised one eyebrow and looked at her with a blank expression on his face.

'Would – wouldn't that be… I mean, is that wise?' Lavolla stammered. 'You're not scared of him?'

An almost amused, but mostly arrogant laugh escaped Severus' lips and he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

With her chin nearly touching her shoulder and with a very attractive one-sided smile, Lavolla looked at Severus.

'Are you laughing at me?' She said, her whole upper body slowly moving into him.

'I wouldn't dream of it.' They were mere inches apart now. 'And no, I am _not_ afraid of Quirinus Quirrell.' He was about to close the distance between their mouths, when something popped into his head.  
'Are you?' He moved away slightly, just to see her reaction to his question.

Lavolla swallowed and looked away. He caught her chin with his thumb and index finger and turned her face back to his own.

'A little.' She confessed softly. 'Not of him really, just of that chance – and I know we cannot even be sure of it yet, but… the idea that… _Voldemort_ might be hiding behind him. It terrifies me that I can't see the real evil, that I can't see what he really is, what his intentions are. I feel so in the dark when it comes to Quirrell.' She sighed a very deep sigh and then smiled an awkward smile. 'Am I even making sense?'

'Almost.' Severus said teasingly and yet truthfully – he thought he understood what she meant, however, something about the intensity with which Lavolla had spoken, made him think that there was something more that he didn't quite get. He kissed her neck. Immediately, he felt her body loosen and she leaned into him. It gave him a boost of pride, as seeing Lavolla response to his touch always did.

'It's not strange that you're afraid.' He told her as her fingers delved into his black hair and pushed his head back.

'I'd be much less afraid if you would be with me.' She said, a daring tone to her voice, but a shy expression on her face. Then she went for his lips, devouring them with her own.

Severus took a hold of her and with one fluent movement, he roughly pinned her down on the bed. Lavolla let out a short yelp and laughed, her hands landing next to her head as if she was surrendering.

'Well then, ' Severus growled seductively, staring down at the woman beneath him. 'I will simply have to stay very,' He paused to press a kiss to her lips. '… very close by.'

* * *

Lavolla practically sprinted up the steps of the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. She and Severus had agreed on not telling Albus about the two of them for the moment. Lavolla, knowing her uncle all too well and not being ready for "subtle" jokes or remarks about her feelings toward Severus just yet, had gone back and forth between arriving at his office together or separately. Severus had watched her with is arms crossed and his one-eyebrow-raised-no-patience-left-look, while she reasoned that even though most people wouldn't think anything of it if they arrived together – they were both working on the same project after all, but Albus Dumbledore was not 'most people', he would probably know exactly what was going on between them the moment they stepped into the room and he would see right through it if they arrived separately, one wrong look or word would betray them instantly. At that point, Severus had grabbed her shoulders and said: "Alright, I'll be in Dumbledore's office at four o'clock. You come later. Now stop your pacing and go."  
Lavolla grinned as she saw it play out in her head. After that, they had kissed for a long, _long_ time, before she had left to go to the owlery to write and send a letter to Freya. She hadn't mentioned Severus though, she loved Freya, but she knew her sister was awful at keeping a secret and if Yveline found out that Lavolla was seeing a man, she would be at his door in no time, trying to steal him away. She shuddered at the thought of Severus with someone else, especially with someone like Yveline.  
Already, she felt an ache for him, even though they had only been apart for two hours. There was so much adrenaline and happiness flowing through her veins, it was making her dizzy. She was nervous and relaxed at the same time and whatever she did, she just couldn't wipe the huge smile off her face. She had probably scared of the students she had come across today for good.

Lavolla's heart started to beat uncontrollably as she came closer to the door of her uncle's office and heard the beautiful rumble of Severus' deep, baritone voice. For a moment, she was too nervous to even knock on the door. This was ridiculous, she told herself. If she wouldn't calm down a little, Albus would definitely know something was up. She cleared her throat as if that would make her knock louder and more clear and went for it. Not waiting for her uncle's voice that would tell her she could come in, Lavolla just opened the door and stepped inside. After all, that was what she always did. If she behaved differently, Albus would surely figure out why… Except Lavolla would never barge in on him if she knew that there was someone with him unless she knew they wouldn't mind her presence, which in this case would mean that she knew for sure that Severus didn't mind her being there. A jab of pain shot from one temple to the other; this thinking it all through approach was not going to work.

'Hello, my dear!' Albus' calm voice welcomed Lavolla into the room. 'Severus and I were just discussing your nightly outings. Would you like some pumpkin juice?'

Lavolla felt all her adrenaline-filled blood concentrate in her face. _Nightly outings_? Then it dawned on her that he was referring to her and Severus watching Quirrel.

'Um, no. Thanks.' She said, waving the offer away with her hand. This was worse than when she was trying to keep her summer romance, who also happened to be her first boyfriend, hidden from Albus.

She looked at Severus, who was sitting in "her" armchair, holding a goblet and wearing his usual black attire. Just looking at him made the corners of her mouth want to curl up.

'Hello, Professor.' She said, smiling politely. This was weird.

'Afternoon, Miss Meren.' Severus answered with a nod. 'I hope you managed to get some sleep after last night's… exertions.'

Okay, that was _not_ funny.

'I did, thank you.' Lavolla said through gritted teeth.

'What exactly did I miss?' She went on, talking to her uncle now.

'Oh, nothing much. Severus has just been telling me what our friend Quirrell has been doing lately.'

Lavolla made her way through the office and took a seat on a wooden chair next to her uncle's desk.

'And?' She pressed him. 'What do you think? What's the next step?'

Albus Dumbledore leaned back against the high back of his chair.

'I think it would be best to see how things unfold. For now.' He said after a pensive silence.

Lavolla shook her head, confused. 'What?'

'Headmaster, we know what Quirrell is planning on doing,' Severus intervened. He got up from the old chair and approached the Headmaster's desk, 'we cannot give him any freedom to do it.'

Lavolla looked from Severus to Albus.

Dumbledore waved both of his hands. 'The Stone is well protected, Severus, he won't crack all the protections anytime soon. In the mean time, I think you would be spending your time much better if you would try to keep him out of Harry Potter's way. So Lavolla, to answer your question fully: the next step for you is to shift your attention from Quirrell to Potter. Hagrid tells me that he is already taking after his father when it comes to school rules and his own safety.'

Lavolla heard an angry growling noise coming from Severus and when she turned to look at him, she saw his was clenching his jaw and his nostrils were flaring. She flinched as she saw the look of hatred burning in his eyes. She knew Severus wasn't exactly fond of the students, but she had no idea why he felt so resentful towards Potter. He had saved the boy's life after all. Not that any decent person would not have done the same thing in Severus' position during the Quidditch match, but still.

The Headmaster didn't pay any attention to Severus though.

'And given his situation, he is at a higher risk than the average student of being harmed.' He carried on. 'Severus, I know that you have your classes and such, so I do not expect you to do more than you already do. However, Lavolla, you will have to start teaching some classes, too, even if it's only to get in contact with the boy.'

Lavolla jumped up from her chair. 'Um, no. No.' She said, shaking her head violently. 'I don't think so.'

'Pardon me for interfering, Miss Meren, but why should you not teach?' Severus asked, sounding sincerely interested. 'Isn't that what you are here for in the first place?'

Lavolla laughed tensely, still fervently shaking her head.

'No! You said,' She pointed at her uncle. 'that I was only hear to watch Quirrel, that it was highly doubtful that I ever really had to take on my role as substitute, and _you,' _now turned to Severus, who to her annoyance, was watching her with what seemed much like amusement. 'you said Hogwarts didn't need a substitute!'

'What will she teach?' Severus asked Dumbledore, completely ignoring Lavolla.

'I was thinking we could give old Silvanus some time off, to let his fresh injuries heal. She would do good with Care of Mythical Creatures.'

Lavolla's jaw dropped as she watched and listened to the two men in front of her discussing her as if she wasn't there, standing just a few feet away.

'Hagrid is going to hate me!' She complained, knowing that the gamekeeper was absolutely mad about all – truly _all_ creatures. But this protest was ignored just as the others.

Severus nodded slowly. 'That class is not without its risks, however. Perhaps it would be better if she only taught Potter's year. The more dangerous creatures are introduced in the second and third year.'

Angry as she was, Lavolla could not help but feel moved by the fact that Severus wanted to keep her safe. She sank back in her chair, knowing resisting would be useless. It was two against one and she _had_ sort of consented that she would teach if necessary.

Wonderful – now there were two men in her life she couldn't win an argument from.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

It had been a while since Lavolla had started teaching Care of Mythical Creatures to the first years, and to her own surprise… it had gone rather well so far. She found the subject itself very interesting and kept herself busy by reading up on everything she could find. Hagrid had not been envious at all – on the contrary: he had been very willing to help her with everything. Most of the students were sweet and polite and some of them were very talented. Like Hermione Granger for example. She was a small Gryffindor with big hair and she was one of Potter's friends. It was almost scary how much knowledge that little girl had stuffed into her head. But not all of them had made a good impression on Lavolla. Especially Draco Malfoy, a blond haired Slytherin, seemed to be enjoying himself a lot of the time by bullying other students. Lavolla was no stranger to the Malfoy family and as soon as she heard she would be teaching Lucius and Narcissa's little boy, she had been worried of being so prejudiced that she would dislike Draco because of his family. However, it had soon become clear that Malfoy junior was capable of doing that all on his own.

Having Severus constantly snarl as soon as the name 'Potter' even came up, had made her a little biased as well. But Harry Potter had turned out be a very likeable boy. He paid attention in class – most of the time, was friendly, but what Lavolla appreciated the most was that he seemed to stand up for the students that were too shy to do that for themselves. It made her hate Quirrell even more for wanting to harm the boy and it also made her realize that Severus probably didn't like Potter because of his father. But she hadn't mentioned it to Severus yet – he would tell her about James Potter and Lily Evans when the time came, she hoped.

Even with the threat of Quirrell - and possibly of someone far more dangerous, looming, Lavolla could not think of a time when she had been this happy. She spent nearly all her free time with Severus and it still felt like it simply wasn't enough. It was as if nothing could touch her when she was with him. He didn't even need to hold her to make her feel safe – just his presence made her feel stronger. Ravenna had always said that falling in love was the most stupid and useless thing one could do, because when someone's in love, they lose themselves and become weak. But Lavolla had never been more herself than she was now and she had never felt more powerful.

The teacher's room had been very enthusiastically embellished with Christmas decorations. There were two trees, one small and one rather large (though it didn't come anywhere near the one standing in the Great Hall). Both were covered with twinkling lights and silver and golden ornaments that occasionally sung a very out of tune holiday song.  
Sitting with her legs curled up beside her in the pale green armchair and a book on the ten most deadly dragons in the world in her hands, she couldn't stop herself from occasionally glancing at the other side of the room where Severus sat in a similar chair. Or rather, she had read the same sentence nearly a hundred times and couldn't stop staring at the way his hair fell across his face a little as he sat with his nose covered in a dusty big book.  
Albus had told her that now she had started to actually teach, that perhaps it would be good if she spent a little more time in the presence of her colleagues. At first, this had made Lavolla even more reluctant about taking on her role as Hogwarts staff member; scared of being judged because everyone would know that she was only hired as she was the Headmaster's cousin and for the fact that she was doing something that most of them had studied real hard for. Gushing her worries to Severus, he had merely told her that she probably knew a lot more about her subject than some of the other teachers did about their own, and who cared what they thought anyway. It had made her feel somewhat better, but she had still asked Severus in her sweetest voice if he would please join her. Naturally, they would sit on either ends of the room, because neither of them had any desire of letting the entire school in on their relationship. Lavolla had a feeling that Albus already knew about them, but she chose to ignore that feeling.

Lost in her thoughts, Lavolla jumped when the door to the teacher's room suddenly creaked open and a small stuttering voice interrupted her ponderings. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Quirrell stepped into the room, rubbing his hands together and blinking like he was into a bright light. The dark energy the man brought with him was almost tangible. Lavolla hadn't noticed it the first time she'd met Quirrell, but every time she saw him, it had grown and become stronger.

'P-p-pleasant e-evening to you.' He greeted everyone in the room. Only a few teachers actually had the curacy to mumble something in return. Lavolla wasn't one of them, nor was Severus, who kept his eyes tightly on the pages before him. But Lavolla knew that all of his attention was aimed at Quirrell.

Lavolla pretended to be caught up in her own reading material as well, but noticed to her great dismay that Quirrell seemed to be heading for the wooden chair next to hers. She has used it as a table for her book and cup of tea, which she had finished a while ago and had already been fetched by one of the house-elves. Her heart jumped and got stuck in her throat, but not in a good way like sometimes when Severus looked at her. _Just ignore him_. She thought to herself. _He won't talk to you: he never does._ But then she heard him clearing his throat. He could not _seriously_ want to have a conversation with her, could he? She didn't know how she was going to cope with that: even being just polite seemed a stretch with this impostor.

'B-beg your p-pardon, Pro…fessor.' He squeaked in his pathetic fake voice. Lately, _if _Quirrell was forced to speak in front of or to Lavolla, which was a most rare happening, he stuttered like he always did in public. Unlike the clear voice in which he had spoken just a few words to her at the Midnight Meeting. Slowly she turned her head, shooting a quick look at Severus, but he still pretended to be fully occupied with his reading.

'Yes?' She said as blankly as she could, not wanting Quirrell to see her fear. Even when she was looking at him so closely as she was now, Lavolla could still not see the factors that should alarm her. Usually she was so good at figuring people out and seeing through their facades, but looking at Quirrell she only saw a sad and feeble person. And knowing what secrets he was really hiding, that terrified her. It was just like she had told Severus: when it came to Quirrell, Lavolla felt blind, robbed of one of her senses and reaching into the dark.

'I w-would very much like to g-g-get your opp-pinion on something.'

Lavolla raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'A s-school matter, of course.' He added quickly.

'What would you need my opinion for?' She asked suspiciously. Already horror scenarios were flashing through her mind of Quirrell needing her to find more unicorns or to help get past Fluffy – which, as she'd learned from Hagrid, was the name of the huge three-headed dog that had smacked Lavolla against a stone wall and injured Severus' leg at Halloween. 'Wouldn't any of the other professors be of much better use to you?'

Quirrell laughed nervously.

'I'm q-quite sure it's your advice I n-need. That is, i-if you wouldn't m-mind?'

Lavolla didn't know what to say, so she forced herself to give Quirrell a hint of smile to fill the awkward silence. Something told her that Quirrell wasn't the least bit interested in her opinion on anything. Part of her wanted to confront him with what she almost knew to be true about him, but Albus had pressed her not to do anything like that. For some reason it was very important that Quirrell didn't feel threatened. When Lavolla had asked for the reasoning behind that notion, her uncle had merely answered: "when someone feels threatened, they get impatient and there's no knowing what they will do under such circumstances."

'Alright.' She finally said, still hesitantly. 'What kind of a matter are we talking about here?'

'I think it w-would be b-b-better if we discussed it f-further in my of-office' Quirrell said, still sounding like his weak alter-ego, but something in his eyes changed and Lavolla saw the evil lurking there.

Her breathing stopped for a second: there was no way she would be following him to his office.

'Professor Meren!' A deep voice suddenly sounded next to Lavolla. The sound of it was reassuring, even though there was a distinct ring of irritation to it.

Lavolla looked up at Severus, instantly calmer at the sight of him, but blinking several times as she tried to figure out why he could possibly be upset with her.

'Is it too much too ask for you to remember your own appointments?' Severus said sharply.

Lavolla cocked her head in confusion: surely she had no appointments after her classes for the day, which had ended about an hour ago. At the same time, her mind started to process the situation. She was sure Severus wouldn't talk to her this way, not anymore, not if he had a very good reason. She wasn't sure whether he had heard the conversation between Lavolla and Quirrell from where he was sitting, but she presumed that Severus just didn't want him to speak with her at all. So this was probably him trying to save her from Quirrell. If it wasn't, however, he'd better come up with a really good Christmas present.

Severus rolled his eyes and snatched the book she'd been reading from her hands. 'You have a detention class to survey, does that ring a bell? I suggest you get to it before the students discard themselves of it.'

Lavolla's jaw dropped a little and she fearfully shot a look through the room, half expecting all her colleagues to be staring at her and Severus. He could at least try to do this a little bit more subtle. To her relieve, no one seemed to have noticed – or it could be that no one was even surprised anymore at the sight of Professor Snape handing out orders in this rather rude manner. She narrowed her eyes at him, pretending to be angry. Very swiftly, she was on her feet, able to face him at eyelevel now. Gods, she loved his eyes!

'I don't think –' She began softly, suddenly her legs were almost too weak to stand on. Severus broke her off.

'Yes, yes, I will show you to the right classroom, just come along.' He then turned to Quirrell, practically pressing Lavolla's book against his nose. 'Here. Anything you could possibly need to chat with Miss Meren about, you will also be able to find in here.'

Lavolla's jaw dropped even further and she gasped in insult.

'Excuse me, Professor.' She said sharply. It was directed at Quirrell, but she said it while looking at Severus.

Quirrell mumbled something inaudible, but Lavolla was already pacing after Severus.

There were a couple of students out in the corridors, so Lavolla and Severus didn't say a word to each other, as always. But when they came to a more deserted hallway, Severus pushed open a door to an empty and dark classroom and entered it. Lavolla looked over her shoulder to check whether there was really no one there and then followed him. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Severus grabbed her waist with both hands and pulled her against him.

'What did he want?' He growled. Lavolla got no time to answer him though, for he pressed his mouth against hers with such a force that would have made her stumble if Severus hadn't been holding her so tightly. His tongue grazing her lips and his strong hands squeezing her softly were almost enough to make Lavolla forget his rudeness and she let her hands roam over his chest and shoulders.

'My advice.' She said when their kiss had finally reached an end. 'But apparently that book you gave him made me unnecessary, so I should think he won't be bothering me anymore.'

Severus frowned at her. 'You know I was only saying that because I wanted to help you get rid of him.' He stated. Lavolla knew it was true, but she found it very hard to even pretend that Severus thought bad of her.

She tapped her fingers against his chest and smiled a little.

'Don't be ridiculous.' He said firmly. 'All the books in the world couldn't replace you.'

Lavolla's smile grew wider.

'Well…' She said, tracing a finger across Severus' jaw. 'I suppose it's true that books can't do this.'

Very lightly, she kissed his cheek, then his neck, then his lips. There was a low, content moan coming from Severus' throat and it made Lavolla deepen her kiss. When she pulled away, Severus looked at her with an expression that sent shivers up and down her spine.

'My point exactly.' He said with an almost indistinctive grin on his face. Then he was suddenly serious again.

'I heard Quirrell say he wanted you to come to his office.'

Lavolla nodded.

'Should he ask again – don't! I do not know for sure what he wants from you yet, but I think it would be best if you just stayed out of his way until we do.' Severus said.

'But wouldn't the fastest way to find that out be if I would simply ask him?'

'No.' He answered resolutely. 'I don't want him coming near you. He's up to something...'

* * *

Since that day, it seemed as if Quirrell was everywhere, always turning up around corners or somewhere behind Lavolla. But so was Severus. He rarely let Lavolla out of his sight, except when he was teaching or asleep. The latter occupation formed no predicament, as Lavolla was always safely lying next to him, the former, however, was somewhat problematic. His patience with his students had reached an all-time low and he had taken more points then ever. Fortunately, it was almost Christmas, when he didn't have any classes and the majority of the students would be out of his way.

Lavolla was talking to Professor Flitwick who was standing on a ladder and finally putting the ornaments in the gigantic tree in the Great Hall, using a levitation spell. For once, Quirrell was nowhere to be seen, but Severus knew he couldn't be far away. Potter, Weasley and Granger were sitting at the Gryffindor table, talking secretively. Severus rolled his eyes – obviously they were scheming something.

But that wasn't his biggest concern at the moment; he directed his attention to Lavolla again, who was now helping Flitwick with decorating. She threw an ornament up in the air and by moving her hand and fingers a certain way, carefully directed it to its place on one of the branches. When Granger walked by with a trolley suitcase and said something to her – most likely holiday wishes, Lavolla smiled kindly at the girl and waved at her with her free hand. Though because she lost eye contact with the ornament, it nearly crashed down to the floor. Fast as lightning, both of her hands shot out at it and she managed to put it to a stop right before it hit the ground, saving it from falling into a thousand little pieces. She and Flitwick both laughed at the near mishap and Severus furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of it. Normally, he would have found it revolting to see two people – professors, no less, expressing such a public case of elation. Now, all he felt was that tuck in his stomach he always felt when watching Lavolla. Even though he thought her face looked more beautiful when she kept it in control, seeing her smile and laugh was not at all bad to watch. Usually, he pretended to be oblivious to her presence, trying his hardest not to look at her at all, like that day in the teacher's room when Quirrell had addressed her. But he always knew where she was, what she was doing. He didn't have to look at her to know. As if she was one of his limbs – he just… _felt_ her being there. He preferred it, though, to be able to shamelessly stare at her, like he was doing now. There was no one in the Great Hall except Flitwick, but he was too focused on decorating the tree, Potter and Weasley, but they were too busy scheming, a group of four other first year students, but they were too scared to look at Severus, and Lavolla herself of course.

'My, my! Are you here voluntarily, Severus?' An amused voice suddenly asked. It was the Headmaster, who had apparently entered through the teacher's entrance and was now taking a seat next to Severus. 'It is not like you to be out here where it's all festive?'

Severus didn't quite know what to answer. It was true that he usually preferred to stay in his own quarters until all this Christmas business was over and done with.

'I needed something from the library and stopped here on the way.' Severus said rather coldly, knowing it was a unreasonable explanation.

'Alright, alright. I'm not accusing you of anything, Severus.' Dumbledore said merrily. 'For a moment I thought perhaps it could have been explained by the presence of my cousin, but she is not here I see.' He continued, eyes twinkling.

Severus felt the blood in his veins turn cold and he swiftly turned his head to look at the place where Lavolla had stood just a minute ago, but which was now empty. In the back of his mind he was also staggered by the fact that Dumbledore apparently knew about his feelings for Lavolla, but it felt more like a nagging feeling than a real problem just now.

'If you would excuse me, Headmaster. There is something I need to see to right away.' He uttered quickly as he hurriedly got up from his chair and strode over to the Christmas tree.

'Flitwick!' He nearly shouted, causing the little Professor to wobble on the steps of the ladder. 'Professor Meren, where did she go?'

'Well, I do not know for sure. One moment she was laughing at a joke I was telling her and the next moment she looked rather alarmed and sprinted off.' Flitwick gave a nod towards the main entrance. 'I don't know what suddenly got into her.'

Without saying another word, Severus bolted out of the Hall.


	12. Chapter 12

**Big thanks to ILoveFantasy for the kind words on the previous chapter! It's really nice to hear from those of you who read and enjoy my story :)****. Makes me write so much faster. **

**So, to everyone out there: reviews or just short messages are very, very welcome!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****Twelve**

Lavolla shuddered as the all too familiar sensation washed over her. This was so not what she needed right now. She had mumbled a quick excuse to Professor Flitwick and hastily exited the Great Hall. It was not hard for her to figure out where to go. Her body was basically pulled forward by the feeling of recognition. Dressed only in her boots, black trousers and sweater, she was instantly attacked by the biting cold when she stepped outside. A few students eyed her with puzzled faces and open mouths as she dashed toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A thick layer of snow covered the ground and with every step, Lavolla's boots pushed deep tracks into it, ruining the perfect and smooth blanket. The treetops were just as white as everything else, making the Forbidden Forest look slightly less eerie than usual.

The icy air stung Lavolla's lungs as she breathed in deeply, trying to recover from her sprint.

'What are you doing here, Freya?' She asked, not able to hide the fact that she wasn't all that thrilled to see her favourite sister.

Freya was standing perfectly still between two huge pines, wearing a cobalt blue cloak that whirled around her elegant posture in the wind. And even though she couldn't feel the cold, she was wearing a silvery scarf and white gloves. Her golden hair caught the wind gracefully and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds.

'Are you not happy to see me, sister?' She asked Lavolla in her clear voice, pouting slightly.

Lavolla clicked her tongue and sighed.

'Of course I am happy to see you.' She said, rubbing her forehead. 'It's just… well, you could have at least let me know you were coming to see me. You didn't exactly pick the best time, Fre.'

Freya blinked twice.

'Why not?'

Lavolla bit her lip. The truth was that she didn't want Freya or any of the other sirens at Hogwarts at any time. Hogwarts felt like her place; a place where she was never in the shadows of her sisters. As selfish as that may sound.

She shook her head and forced herself to smile.

'Never mind.' She said and stepped toward Freya, who kissed her on the cheek, as was custom for the siren in the lower rank. 'It's good to see you.'

'Yes.' Freya agreed and Lavolla knew she didn't mean that it was good to see her, too, but that she was sure it was good for Lavolla to see her.

'So.' Lavolla began. 'Do you want to come inside? If not, I want your cloak: I'm freezing over here.'

'But I never get a chance to wear it!' Freya objected, stroking the blue fabric dotingly. 'Oh, alright! Let's go inside then!'

Lavolla groaned and hooked her arm in Freya's, snuggling against her to get a little warmth. Her teeth had started to chatter a moment ago and her breath was forming small clouds in front of her as they walked back in the direction of the high castle doors.

'Don't you want to show me anything?' She asked. Freya had the most useful gift Lavolla had ever seen on any siren – by simply touching someone with even the lightest touch of the tips of her fingers, she could make you see what she wanted from you and what you wanted from her.

'Hm-mm.' Freya nodded and took Lavolla's hand in her own. Immediately, Lavolla saw flashes of her other sisters back in Norway. There was Ravenna looking quite distressed, which was somewhat shocking. And there was Arnora looking furious, obviously throwing one of her tantrums, which on itself was nothing new, but Lavolla had never seen one like this: there was somehow more emotion to it. And then there was Yveline looking triumphant and Freya looking very upset. Then all these images suddenly whirled away and made room for Lavolla's own face and Hogwarts. Clearly, Freya wanted to escape from Yveline for a while and stay with Lavolla. The latter was not pleased with that at all, which was of course immediately visible to Freya.

'I knew it!' She exclaimed, pushing Lavolla away. 'You're not happy to see me at all! Well, if you don't want me here, then I will just have to leave again.'

Lavolla rolled her eyes. She knew very well that her sister wasn't going anywhere and that she was just waiting for her to apologize.

'Freya, it's too damn cold! Can we please just discuss this inside?' She was already walking up to the doors, knowing that it wouldn't be long before Freya came running after her.

Then she froze in her tracks. Quirrell was standing in the middle of the doorway and staring right at her. She swallowed and put on her friendliest face. Slowly walking closer to the turban-wearing professor, Lavolla thought of Severus and cursed herself for leaving the Great Hall so suddenly.

As she'd suspected, Freya was next to her again by the time she was standing face to face with Quirrell. The DADA teacher's eyes widened at the sight of the siren and a creepy grin crawled across his face.

'Who's this?' Freya asked cheerily, beaming at Quirrell as she did at any man.

Lavolla looked from Quirrell to her sister and back. Then realization hit her like a ton of bricks and at that moment she wanted to run as far away from Quirrell as she could.

* * *

Severus had searched all the places he suspected Lavolla could have gone, but she was nowhere to be found. Or maybe she was, but the castle was so large, it could have easily been possible that they had just missed each other without having crossed paths. He hadn't seen Quirrell either and that was what worried him. Of course Lavolla would be just fine by herself, but Severus knew she didn't feel at ease with Quirrell around, who clearly wanted something from her.

Exhausted, he went up to her quarters one more time. It had been the second place he had fruitlessly searched for Lavolla. This time, however, there were soft voices coming from inside. One was hushed and sounded worried, the other was careless and happy. The first belonged to Lavolla, a voice Severus could pick out between a thousand others, but the other was harder to place.

He knocked twice and the sound of nearing footsteps followed. Almost at the same time, another pair of feet audibly moved closer, these ones more hurried than the first.

'Wait, don't - !' Severus heard Lavolla hiss.

Then the door flew open and two beautiful faces stared back at Severus. One was flawless, eyeing him curiously and graced with a sweet smile, while the other appeared troubled and had several imperfections. Yet, the latter was all Severus could look at. He knew instantly that the other woman was one of Lavolla's sisters, although he couldn't recall which one exactly. They all looked somewhat the same and the night Severus had met the entire clan, Lavolla had been the one engraved in his memory afterwards.

'I remember you!' The ringing voice of the siren demanded Severus' attention. 'You were at the Midnight Meeting, were you not? Yes! Yes, you were! Yveline had her eyes on you for a moment.'

Severus flinched at the thought of the blatant siren that had practically attacked him at the Meeting. So this one wasn't the annoying, cruel one. Although… she was already getting on his nerves a bit.

'Fre, this is Professor Snape. He teaches Potions here at Hogwarts.' Lavolla muttered. Severus could easily tell she wasn't too happy with the situation she was in. 'Professor, this is my younger sister, Freya. She um… she's been having some problems back at home.'

'Can he not come in, sister?' Freya asked, not paying any attention to the introduction and never taking her eyes off of Severus, inspecting every inch of him. He raised an eyebrow at her, as he would at a student who was about to misbehave, but her smile only widened at this.

To his surprise, Lavolla briefly but very clearly hesitated before answering.

'Of course… Yes, of course he can come in.' She finally stammered, stepping aside as to make way for Severus to enter.

'Um… Fre?' She then asked her sister. 'Could you please just look after yourself for a minute? I really need to speak to Professor Snape.'

Freya shook her head, not refusing, but questioning.

'Why?' She asked, batting her eyes. 'You don't have to hide anything from me, I can keep a secret.'

'Alright, fine. Stay.' Lavolla replied lightly. 'But there aren't any secrets. It's about school business. You know: classes, homework, that sort of things?'

Freya made a face. 'Well, that sounds awfully boring. I'll be in your bedroom then. Your wardrobe is in there, isn't it?' She sang merrily.

Lavolla smiled and nodded.

Severus sensed that Lavolla couldn't talk freely with her sister in the room, so he waited until Freya had closed the bedroom door behind her.

Lavolla turned to him immediately, laying a hand on his chest and pressing her forehead against his shoulder. Her other arm snaked around him and held him tightly against her.

'Is it too much to ask for you to not suddenly vanish and make me search the entire castle?' He growled crossly. But his own arms had already magically wrapped themselves around Lavolla.

'I know! I'm so sorry!' She groaned into his chest. 'All of a sudden, I felt my sister's presence close by and I panicked. I'm sorry.'

Severus took her by the shoulders and pushed her away a little, so she would look at him. 'Why would you panic over that? I thought this one was your favourite?'

Lavolla guiltily closed her eyes for a few seconds.

'Because I don't want any of my sisters here.' She whispered and shot an anxious look in the direction of her bedroom.

'I mean, I love Freya, but – and this is going to sound very, _very_ unattractive, but…' Her eyes focused on Severus. 'I love her more when she's not around.'

When Lavolla had said she was going to sound unattractive, Severus had inwardly laughed. He hadn't thought anything she could say or do would make his affection for her lessen. And it didn't. On the contrary: it was somehow heartening for him to know that Lavolla wasn't a saint. Not that he had any illusions about that, but she was always so kind to people, accepting everyone until they lost her respect – like Quirrell. It was something he secretly admired, but he also found it reassuring that she, like him, had sometimes (or in his case, often) difficulty tolerating others around her.

'Especially now, when I've finally found a place and life of my own and I found you and – ' She started to ramble when Severus didn't respond to her previous words, but he stopped her by fiercely taking a hold of her head and drowning out her voice with a kiss. He felt her relax against him and she kissed him back hungrily for a while, but then she abruptly pulled away and tensely eyed the bedroom door again.

'Sorry.' She said, while taking hold of one of Severus's hands and squeezing it in her own.

'I don't think I'm quite ready for Freya to find out about us yet.'

Severus felt a stab at his chest.

'You mean you don't want your perfect family to know you're seeing someone like me, when you can have any man.' He stated bitterly as he pulled his hand out of Lavolla's grip. There was a part of him that really hated himself for being this gruff.

Lavolla had a look of horror on her face.

'No!' She objected loudly. 'No, what are you – no! That is not what this is, that's not what I -'

Her voice died when the bedroom door opened and her sister stepped back into the room. She was wearing a graceful white blouse on black trousers Severus knew belonged to Lavolla. That picture made his stomach turn. Lavolla was a siren. Not a pure blooded one, but still: she was one of them. How could he have thought she was going to love him just for him?

'This doesn't sound much like school business.' Freya said warily, a little frown creasing her forehead.

'Fre, please!' Lavolla groaned pleadingly. 'Could you at least try to be just a bit more helpful?'

'Do not bother: I was just leaving.' Severus interrupted curtly and turned on his heel.

'No, Severus, wait!' He heard Lavolla plead, but he didn't want to find out how easily she would give up on him, so he strode away and closed the door behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

For the second time that night, Lavolla woke with a start. Her neck and back were damp with sweat and she was shaking all over. She had been haunted by the same dream that had pulled her out of her sleep earlier. To someone else the two nightmares may have seemed completely unrelated, but Lavolla knew the cause of both dreams were in fact the same.

The first scenario involved herself, Severus and a huge dark lake. The sky was a deep shade of grey and bolts of lightning cracked it open were they struck. The black water of the lake came up to Lavolla's waist and it seemed to get higher and higher with every step she took to get closer to the shore. On the safety and serenity that was the shore, was Severus. His attire was even more black than the lake and it was billowing around him. Lavolla had never seen something so beautiful nor had she ever wanted to hold someone as badly as she had wanted to hold him. His arms had looked so strong and all she wanted was for him to pull her out of the freezing water that was already wrapping its icy claws around her shoulders. She started to panic as every step became harder to take and tried calling out to Severus, but as she opened her mouth, the water found its way in and literally drowned every bit of sound coming from her throat. Before she was completely engulfed by darkness, she could see a golden haired woman take Severus' face in her hands and lead him away from the lake and Lavolla.

The latest nightmare was a bit more cryptic, but not to Lavolla. It had started wonderfully. She and Severus were walking through a forest. Not an old, creepy forest like the Forbidden Forest – even though that was the kind of forest Lavolla preferred, but a young forest that looked as if spring had settled in its roots. Birds were chipping and singing, the leaves were fresh and bright green and there was a warm breeze that played with her and Severus' hair. She had to admit that Severus looked a bit off in these surroundings: his face grave and wearing his usual black. But his arm was wrapped around her and he held her close, which was all she needed. Lavolla kissed his neck and he smiled. Even in her dreams she could barely restrain herself from ripping his clothes off.

She stopped in her tracks, suddenly overwhelmed by her own desire. When he turned to look at her, he raised an eyebrow at the mischievous grin Lavolla knew was on her face. She chuckled at the stern manner in which he eyed her. Then his hands were everywhere. Arms snaking around her body and fingers tracing every bit of skin they could find. She responded eagerly by gripping at his shoulders and trying to undo all his buttons as quickly as she could. To her surprise, it went much smoother than usual. It was as if the buttons melted away under her touch and very soon, Lavolla was pushing off his clothes. She was oblivious to what she herself had been wearing up to that point, but she was aware, however, that Severus had experienced no trouble in taking it off. Yet, she still thought she was overdressed, wearing her bra and panties, when she wanted his hands to be able to get everywhere. She wanted to feel his strong hands on her breasts, to press her naked torso against his, so she reached for the hooks of her bra. Severus gently slapped her hands away and went to work on them himself. Lavolla sighed contentedly and kissed him while she let one of her hands travel down to Severus' groin, but then everything stopped. Severus grabbed her hands and pulled away from her. He was staring intently at something over Lavolla's shoulder and paid her no attention whatsoever. She had never seen him look like this: his eyes were wide open and there was something quite childlike about him. Confused and very disappointed, Lavolla turned to look behind her, desperate to find out what had caused this abrupt end to their intimacies. As she did so, Severus pushed past her and moved as in trance, to a group of trees on the other side of a small clearing. When Lavolla looked closer, she saw that it was an orchard. She went after Severus only because she wanted to be close to him – she didn't trust these trees. They held the most beautiful apples she had ever seen: blood red and shining in the golden sunlight. Just looking at them made her mouth water. Effortlessly, she could imagine how exquisite it must be to sink her teeth in their flesh, she could practically hear the glorious, crispy sound the first bite would make. All this beauty and temptation, it made her nauseous. She knew this place – something about it was awfully familiar. Severus shouldn't be here, she had to keep him away.

He was standing before one of the trees, dressed only in a pair of black trousers. His hand was slowly but surely going for one of the gorgeous fruits.

'Severus, don't!' Lavolla heard herself call out to him, but he showed no sign of noticing her warning. 'Look at me!' She tried frantically, but he didn't hear or care.

Then something between the branches of the trees stirred and out flew four gigantic birds. Their feathers were bright gold and their proud eyes were gazing furiously at Lavolla. When she looked back to the spot where Severus had been standing, she didn't find him. He had gone deeper into the orchard and had his back to her.

'Severus!' She cried out. 'Come back to me, please!'

Again, there was no response. Every step he took was taking him further and further away from her. She wanted to go after him, but as soon as she moved past the first line of trees, the golden birds let out the most dreadful screeches and flew down to where she stood. Lavolla looked up at them in terror and saw four pair of razor-sharp claws and vicious beaks descending.

Before the first set of claws dug into her skin, Lavolla woke up. She sat up straight and clutched her head. That was by far the most horrible dream ever! Not only was she overcome with that horrible feeling you get after a nightmare for the second time in the same night; that feeling where you're trembling with nerves and fright and are absolutely drained, but she was also utterly frustrated. She wanted Severus, she craved him, every bone in her body ached for him.

When she had steadied herself a little, Lavolla thought back to the previous evening. She really did want to feel comfortable in introducing Severus to her sisters, or at least to one sister at a time: she wasn't sure she would ever expose him to Yveline again. As her dreams had made even more clear to her – as if she needed a reminder, she had always been and would always be inferior to her perfect sisters. To make matters even worse, Severus had jumped to conclusions – the wrong ones, and assumed that Lavolla didn't want him around her family because they might disapprove of him. Lavolla shook her head and smirked grimly at this thought. Her sisters would all be too happy if Lavolla would bring home a man: fresh meat. He was the right gender, which was all that mattered to them. Lavolla would never be able to proudly bring Severus home with her to meet her family. He had been right about that. But not because of him, not because she was embarrassed of _him_ – it was them she was embarrassed of. They would throw themselves at him and she was terrified of losing him to any of them. Even Freya, who was so much more beautiful than she was. Lavolla knew she wasn't bad-looking: she had always liked the shape of her own face and the strange colour of her eyes. But next to Fre… it was pathetic! She had felt it when they had been standing next to each other while opening the door for Severus, and she had felt it when Freya had stepped into the room wearing Lavolla's clothes, which looked a hundred times better on her than on their owner.

Lavolla looked at the form lying next to her. In her sleep, Freya was even more perfect: so poised. Almost like she had been laid to rest: lying on her back with her hands on her stomach and the blanket nearly without a crease in it. Her long hair lay neatly beside her head and the rhythm of her breathing was soothing. Lavolla knew her sister didn't sleep as well and as deep as she did under water, but Freya didn't like the lake near the castle. Which was just as well, because Lavolla would not have allowed her to go out alone, especially at night.

She hadn't even gotten the chance to tell Severus about her new found theories on Quirrell's plans before he had stormed out. No, Freya wasn't going anywhere without her unless it was back to Norway. It had been very tempting to shove Freya into a fireplace and flu her back herself, but didn't want to risk being seen by any of her other sisters.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Lavolla got up and walked over to her little window. The deep blue night sky was graced by a full moon and covered in little specks of diamond stars. Inhaling the fresh air with all its soft scents was calming and Lavolla rested her elbows on the window sill. She was able to see the lake and was immediately reminded of her first dream of the night. She shuddered involuntarily and took another deep gulp of night air, just to reassure herself – there was no water in her lungs; she could breathe freely.

Out of the blue, a soft hand graced Lavolla's shoulder and she nearly jumped out of the window in shock. Freya joined her at the window and peered up at the round moon.

'I didn't mean to scare you.' She said softly.

'It's quite alright.' Lavolla smiled and nudged her sister. 'I'm sorry I woke you, I know how hard it is for you to sleep out of the water.'

Freya shook her head. 'You have scarcely been sleeping yourself tonight. It is that man, isn't it?'

Lavolla felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over her head. Freya could NOT know: if Freya knew, they all knew. Freya was nothing if not the worst blabbermouth.

'I saw it when I touched your shoulder just now.' Freya went on. 'Do not worry, sister. I didn't have to touch him in order to know that he wants you, too.'

Lavolla closed her eyes in defeat and hung her head. She knew it was hopeless, but still she tried. 'You cannot tell anyone about this, alright? It is very important that you don't.'

Freya shrugged. 'Of course, my dear sister, whatever you say.'

Lavolla rolled her eyes. Yes, hopeless indeed.

'Why was he angry with you?'

Freya sounded like a child. She was like that often and it was what made Lavolla so protective of her. For all her flaws, Freya has something of an air of innocence about her. Most of the time she didn't even know she was hurting someone. No, it was even more than that – she hardly understood the concept of hurting someone.

'He believes I'm embarrassed of him.'

'Why would you be? He's quite manly, very dark. I like him.' Freya decided, sending a brief flash of fear through Lavolla. 'And he smells nice.'

Lavolla chuckled. This started to remind her of the way she used to discuss boys with her sister when she was younger, when she hadn't really cared about losing them. It felt nice. She was still scared of what would happen when the other sirens found out about Severus, terrified even, but it was also a huge relief to talk about her feelings.

'He does smell nice.' Lavolla agreed, but quickly added a warning. 'But he's mine, though!' God, did she sound possessive.

Freya laughed. 'If you'd put it like that to our dear youngest sister, she would have taken it as a challenge, so be careful with that.'

It was true. Yveline saw everything as a competition and she loved to win. This was a typical siren-trait of course, but Yveline was an exceptionally bad case, whereas Freya was not necessarily that competitive. Which was one of the reasons Lavolla found it so much easier to be with her than with any of her other sisters.

'Can you not tell him that you think he smells nice and that you're not ashamed of him?' Freya asked in her angelic voice. Lavolla grinned and put her arm around her sister's shoulders.

'I can and I will.' She said, whishing it was morning so she could live up to this promise.

Freya frowned deeply and stared at Lavolla. The latter raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

'What?'

'I have never felt anything like this with you.' Freya said leisurely, as if she was still thinking her words over as she uttered them. 'You really… _desire_ him, don't you?'

Lavolla looked away from Freya's puzzled eyes and up at the stars. That was the risk of putting an arm around Freya: you gave away so much more than you wanted.

'I have only known him for a few months.' Was her feeble answer.

'What does that matter?'

Lavolla did not know the answer to that. She'd always thought she knew exactly how being in love felt, that she had been at least once in her life, but no experience even came close to the feelings she had for Severus.

'Ugh!' Freya pushed her arm away and broke off every physical contact they had. 'This is becoming just a tad too sappy for my taste.'

'I am starting to remember why you are my favourite.' Lavolla chuckled and hugged her sister, who objected fiercely as she had seen enough of Lavolla's wishes and needs for the time being, but eventually caved.

'How can you want him so badly and still be standing here with me?' Freya wrinkled her nose as if she was smelling something bad. Too much emotions freaked her out.

'You're right.' She said and without taking the time to dress into something more appropriate than the slightly revealing black nightgown she was wearing, darted off.

When she had lifted the spell on the door that locked it better than any lock, Lavolla swiftly ran back into her bedroom. Freya was still gazing out of the window.

'I don't know how long I'll be, but do not under any circumstance talk to Professor Quirrell. Remember, he was the weird guy we met outside? Avoid him at all costs! Actually, I would prefer it if you stayed here until I'd return, but must you go outside my quarters, please be careful.' Lavolla rambled.

'Fine.' Freya said lightly, not even bothering to look at Lavolla.

'Fre, I'm serious.' She pressed.

'Hm-mm.' Freya murmured and waved her away.

Lavolla sighed and shot a last look at her sister before running out of her quarters and into the dark corridors of Hogwarts.

She had taken the path to the dungeons so often, she had no trouble finding her way in the dark. Going around corners and finding the right passageways wasn't a problem. But at some places the stones on the floor stuck out a bit and she had bumped her toes three times now. Beside that, she had at one point suddenly heard a cat meowing. Of course Lavolla had instantly known it was Mrs. Norris, the janitor's faithful feline companion and she didn't scare her, but the idea of running into Filch while so scarcely dressed didn't exactly appeal to her. Her wand was back in her quarters somewhere: she always forgot that thing. The times when she actually had use for it were rare. Mostly she was better of using her hands to perform magic, like all sirens. But it was in times such as these, where she could have used a tiny light like the one that would appear at the tip of her wand after having cast _Lumos,_ that Lavolla remembered why she had one of those things in the first place.

She hadn't thought she would run to anyone at this hour. After all, the dungeons weren't that far from her quarters. It was mostly staircases and narrow hallways. But in her hurry she hadn't considered Filch at all. Cursing herself for not having put on something a bit more decent, Lavolla pressed herself against the stone, cold wall when she heard footsteps not too far away from her. For a moment, she considered racing back up to her own chambers, but realized whoever was out there, was already too close. Realizing how stupid it must look if she was caught hiding – and if it was indeed the janitor and he was with Mrs. Norris, that bloody cat would definitely rat her out, Lavolla readied herself for an embarrassing moment and was prepared to step away from her hiding place. But then something inside of her made her press her back against the wall even harder. This did not sound like Filch. Filch dragged his feet and didn't move too quickly unless he had to. However, this person walked in a steady pace, taking strong strides. A jolt of panic went through her. She knew the determination of those footsteps, the arrogance and the certainty in them. These were unmistakably the footsteps of Quirinus Quirrell. Lavolla hoped with all her might that he would keep up his pace and march right past her.

The beating of her own heart seemed so loud to her, she was afraid it might give her away. Holding her breath, Lavolla waited for Quirrell to find her. As fast as she could, she went through the actions she would have to take if he found her, in her head. From what she suspected about him, he most certainly did want to cause her harm.

The moment he came around the corner, Lavolla felt the blood in her veins turn to ice. It was absolutely him: that posture, that eerie feeling he gave her, that turban. To her amazement and great relief, Quirrell wasn't carrying his wand in his hand and was as much in the dark as Lavolla was. He passed her in his sturdy steps and disappeared as quickly as he had come into view. All that remained was the sound of his ongoing marching. Which was a comforting sound. At least, it was comforting until Lavolla realized where he might be heading for. There wasn't much else in that directions than the staircase to her own quarters.

Without thinking, Lavolla sprinted into the direction of the dungeons. What _could_ she do now, in her nightgown and without a wand. Not that she needed a wand to fight someone – she was better without it. At daylight, this must have been a sight to behold: a teacher running for dear life in her pyjamas. She was going so fast she was sure the skirt of her nightgown jumped up to show her underwear with each step.

When she had reached Severus' quarters, she barely had enough energy to pound on the door. Expecting she had woken him up, Lavolla was taken aback somewhat when the door opened only seconds from when she had knocked and she found Severus in full attire, one eyebrow raised. For a flash of a second, she gave him a bewildered look, but then shook her head frantically and started to speak – or at least, she tried.

'Severus… so sorry… had to come…' Lavolla managed to bring out. She was panting heavily and she found inhaling to be painful. Clutching at her sides, she tried again.

'Miss Meren, what are you – ' Severus began, sounding both worried and annoyed. Lavolla felt a pang of hurt when she heard him address her so formally, but quickly reassessed the situation.

'Ran into Quirrell… My sister…' Was all she had to say for Severus to respond the way she wanted.

He pulled her into his room and held her by the shoulders.

'Wait here, don't come after me.' He said firmly. Then he was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Warning: this chapter is a ****little bit more graphic than the previous ones!**

**Chapter ****Fourteen**

Severus was still seething when he returned to his quarters after dragging himself up to Lavolla's in search of Quirrell. Something had to be done. Severus would visit Dumbledore in the morning and request that he'd kick the git out of the school. Surely the safety of his niece would make the Headmaster reconsider letting Quirrell stay.

Stepping into his chamber, he found it to be pitch black rather than softly illuminated, which was how he had left it behind. He guessed Lavolla had put out the candles that usually lit his room before leaving. He felt the disappointment wash over him at the discovery of her departure, after he had told her to stay. This was also an awfully displeasing thought, as he had not been able to find Quirrell and therefore knew he was still out there somewhere, slithering through the corridors like a traitorous snake. Of course, the outfit Lavolla'd been sporting as she'd knocked on his door earlier, was another factor as to why Severus had very much hoped he would find her in his room, waiting for him. He allowed himself the briefest remembrance of the way in which her glorious chest had been heaving in exasperation, the lovely feminine shape of her legs and her beautifully scented hair that had been tousled around her face, before recalling that he was actually still angry with her and had been spending the entire night thinking about ending things with her.

After seeing how she acted around him with her sister there, he had come to the conclusion that it would be easier on both of them if he just backed away. When he had made this decision, two reactions had followed. One part of him was saddened at the loss of Lavolla and the joy that she had brought into his life with her. But then there was another part of him that was strangely relieved. As if he had seen their relationship's ending like this from the very beginning. The moments he had spent with Lavolla were happy ones and he had enjoyed them greatly, but the fear of eventually getting hurt had always been present like a faint stinging in his brain.

Lavolla was probably used to being surrounded by the most perfect, young men and he would make himself – and her, a laughing stock if she'd ever dare take him home to meet her family properly. Though he doubted if she ever would: the look of embarrassment on her face when she'd found him on her doorstep that night, had told him everything he needed to know. Severus damned himself for having allowed it to go as far as it had: he should never have let her in, he should never have kissed her, never should have allowed her in his bed and he should never have let himself develop these feelings he had for her.

Holding his wand with the small but clear blue light on the tip, Severus absentmindedly took started in the direction of his bedroom before coming to an abrupt halt at the sound of a very faint whimper. Flinging his wand over to shed its soft light on his sofa, he found the source of the noise.

Instantly, all of his anger subsided as he took in the sleeping form of Lavolla. Her head and part of her upper body were leaning against an armrest and her legs were stretched, showing their outline perfectly.

He sat himself down on the edge of the sofa and gingerly shook her. Lavolla stirred and opened her eyes, blinking ferociously at the light of Severus' wand. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other in the dark, until Severus raised his wand at the fireplace behind Lavolla.

'Incendio!' The fire came to life with a roar and the room was filled with the warm light and the crackling of the flames eating their way through the wood.

'I'm sorry.' Lavolla said and Severus could hear the honesty in her voice. But he remained silent, not willing to grasp the apology and let her break his defence again.

'Is Freya safe?' She asked when another silence had passed.

'Yes. I did not find Quirrell, however. But I gave your sister clear instructions; she will be fine.'

'Good.' Lavolla said softly. 'Thank you.'

Severus nodded curtly and then frowned. 'What could Quirrell possibly want from your sister?'

Lavolla raised one eyebrow. 'Well, there is one thing all men want from her. But it's not just Freya, it's me as well.' There was fright in her eyes now and Severus had to fight the urge to stroke her hair and hold her.

'Remember Quirrell wanted something from me, but we couldn't figure out what?' She continued.

'Remember?' Severus exclaimed. 'Of course I remember. It was only yesterday that I was trying to protect you from him and then you suddenly disappeared when I was looking after you, _remember_?'

Lavolla nodded impatiently. 'Yes, I know! I said I was sorry. But listen, when I ran into Quirrell with Freya this afternoon, he got the strangest look on his face when he saw her. Freaked me out. But then I thought about the unicorn blood. There are some old stories that say immortality is given to those who manage to steal the heart of a siren. I'm thinking that is what Quirrell is after: a siren's heart.'

Severus grimaced. 'Figuratively speaking or…'

'My guess is that the stories were figuratively speaking, but I doubt Quirrell is planning on winning Freya's heart romantically. Or mine.' Lavolla swallowed. 'I think he wants an actual heart.'

Severus got up and started pacing. 'We have to inform the Headmaster: this has gone far enough.'

'We will in the morning.' Lavolla promised. 'For tonight, Freya will be all right.'

Severus stopped pacing and took a hand through his black hair.

'And you?' He asked.

'Well, I'm with you.' She said. That made him look at her. She was smiling at him and her eyes were filled with trust. Even the sizzling flames in the fireplace couldn't make him feel as warm as that look did. 'If you'll let me stay, that is.'

He walked back over to the sofa and sat next to her again, this time a little closer.

'If I do, are you going to offer me an explanation as to why you were parading through the castle at this hour… dressed like _this_?' Severus said, gesturing to her nightgown.

'I wasn't parading.' Lavolla said firmly, but not unfriendly. 'I was going to see you.'

'And a change of wardrobe didn't occur to you?'

'Not at the time, no.' There was a hint of mischief in Lavolla's voice and Severus felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of it.

'I am not certain whether that should flatter me or not.' He answered with a grin, but went on in a more serious tone. 'But I must remind you that there are children living here, too. It wouldn't be the first time that one of them ignores their curfew and goes wandering about at night. If one of them would have seen you tonight, the entire school would be talking about it by tomorrow.'

'I know. I'm sorry.' Lavolla shook her head at her own foolishness. 'I wasn't thinking. I just really had to see you.' She held out her hand to stroke his cheek, then his chest. Severus closed his eyes and relished in her touch for a second, but then took her hand in his and pushed it away.

'I cannot imagine why.' He said bitterly. 'While you were so clearly displeased to see me this afternoon. Tell me, I'm curious, were you able to convince your sister that I am nothing more than a colleague; that I in fact bore you with my company; that I am far from worthy of the attention of a faultless siren?'

In a movement that went by so fast that if Severus had blinked, he would have missed it, Lavolla sat up straight and grasped his face with both of her hands.

'I forbid you to say things like that!' She snarled, sounding truly angry and Severus was, for a moment, taken aback. He composed himself quickly, but remained uneasy with this ferocity that he would have never imagined her to be capable of. 'You could never bore me with your company: I have never enjoyed someone's presence as much as I have yours and I am _always_ pleased to see you! I wish I could describe how great it feels to me when my eyes find you and when you look at me in that way that I've never been looked at and how blissfully happy I am when you touch me, but I simply do no have the words. And had I not known my sisters so well and had I not been so mortified of them trying to take you from me as I know they will, I would have been thrilled for you to meet Freya and the others, but I just do! And FAULTLESS? Please! I've got so many flaws I can't even count them! I'm impatient, I'm nosy, I have the worst temper, will never be able to brew a decent potion or perform a good transfiguration, I'm selfish, I – '

'Talk way too much.' Severus interrupted. He had listened to her rambling and the bits and pieces he had managed to catch, had been enough for him to throw away the last of his reserve. He felt a familiar pull in his groin and without thinking things over, he wrapped his arms tightly around Lavolla and kissed her passionately. As soon as he felt her responding, giving him the green light by answering the kiss with equal force, he let his hands roam over her poorly concealed body. He pushed her back against the couch with his own weight. Parting his lips from hers to follow his own fingers in their journey down to her neck, her collarbone, planting kisses on every bit of skin they could find. Lavolla threw her head back and moaned in approval. Her fingers grabbed his hair and she arched her back, pressing herself against him.  
When he reached the mounds of her breasts, his hands cupped both orbs and held them as if they were the most precious treasure he had ever come across. Through the thin fabric, he sucked at one of her erect nipples. Gently he grazed his teeth over the small bud, nipping at it lovingly. Lavolla let out the softest yelp of surprise and Severus moved to kiss her panting mouth, grinning against her lips.

'Exactly how attached are you to this very inappropriate piece of nightwear?' Severus purred seductively.

Lavolla tried to catch his lips again, while tugging impatiently at the buttons of his jacket. Those things remained a source of annoyance to her.

'It's my favourite. Why?' She answered, followed by a triumphant smile as she finally managed to unbutton the last one of those tiny hindrances.

'Hm, pity.' Severus mumbled, watching her with amusement, before grabbing a fistful of the smooth fabric and ripping it from Lavolla's body.

She looked up at him in feigned shock, one corner of her mouth already curling up and betraying her true emotion.

'Severus Snape, that's going to cost you.' She whispered seductively. Severus was sure that at that moment, he would have paid anything to lay eyes on the sight he was currently beholding. Lavolla's eyes were gazing up at him adoringly, the tremulous light of the fire flickering in them and making them sparkle. Her lips red from kissing him, her bare skin ready to be united with his, her perfect breasts eagerly awaiting his touch. In one fluid motion, he gathered her in his arms and lifted her off the sofa, never breaking eye contact with her. Lavolla stroked his face with the tips of her fingers until he gently laid her down on the rug by the fireplace and got back up so he stood before her. He removed his jacket that Lavolla had already undone and then went to work on the buttons of the white blouse underneath, taking his time as he watched the dancing flames cast figures on Lavolla's body. Seeing her bite her lip in impatience made him want to slow his undressing even further as to prolong the moment and tease her, but at the same time he knew he was just as eager as she was to free himself of his clothes.

When he was down to his trousers, she obviously couldn't take it any longer. She propped herself up on one elbow and extended her free arm to him, reaching out for him.

'Severus!' She said accusingly.

'Yes?' He replied calmly.

'You're tormenting me! Come here, let me do it.'

He clicked his tongue in mock disapproval. 'Patience, love.'

Lavolla let herself fall back on the floor and put her hands on her head in frustration.

When Severus had freed himself of every last bit of clothing, as slowly as he could, he lowered himself down on his knees and then sat down by Lavolla, who grasped him by his shoulders as soon as he was in her reach. She pulled him down so she could kiss him while one of her hands traced his spine and the other stroked his chest, his abdomen, and from there travelled down to his erection. He grunted into her mouth as her fingers teased the sensitive tip. His desire for her growing with each passing second, Severus ripped off her panties and carelessly tossed them in a random direction.

'Don't make me wait any longer.' Lavolla whispered between kisses, there was a pleading tone to her voice.

Severus knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer, so he straddled her as she guided his manhood to her hot centre, gingerly stroking the delicate skin as she did. She released him when he was nudging her entrance. Their mouths broke apart and their eyes locked as he gradually pushed into her. Lavolla inhaled sharply as he did so and wrapped her legs around him, forcing him even deeper inside her. Severus held still for a moment and kissed her deeply. Then he started to move in and out of her, each thrust more powerful then the previous one. She pulled him closer until she was able to softly nip at the muscles in his neck, one hand taking a firm hold of his backside. He supported himself with one arm while his free hand massaged her breast and stroked her stomach.

Much too soon Severus felt the waves of pleasure grow more intense and knew his climax was nearing quickly. As soon as he began to slow down, Lavolla tightened her grip on him with her legs.

'Don't.' She panted. He picked up the pace again until he felt her muscles tense around him and she closed her eyes in delight. As her orgasm washed over her, Lavolla whispered his name. It was all Severus needed. Within several more thrusts, his own culmination arrived with an incredible force. Lavolla laid her hand against his cheek as he groaned at the overwhelming sensation of his release. Collapsing onto her, she wrapped her arms around him and held him.

Warmed by his body and the fire, Lavolla eventually drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
